Religion and Theology

This paper will consist of a critical review and analysis of Thomas Jay Oord, The Uncontrolling Love of God: An Open and Relational Account of Providence.  This paper must be 5-7 pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 point Times New Roman font.   In this paper, the student is required to offer a detailed summary of the text. You must summarize 1) the main problem that Oord hopes to address (see chapter 1), 2) previous scholarly attempts at resolving the problem (chapters 4 and 5), and Oord’s constructive proposal for resolving the problem (chapters 6 and 7). You should then assess the merits or demerits for Oord’s theology of providence. Here, you may consider whether he resolves the problem of evil, or whether resolution creates problems for faith? Is God’s “control” appropriate or problematic? Does his theology beginning with human experience allow him to ground his theological claims in an authority beyond himself or does it offer a realistic account of reality and God’s more limited role in it? How might Kathryn Tanner assess Oord’s theology?  Please be aware that this is a lot of material to cover in a very short space. Students must endeavor, therefore, to write clearly and concisely if they are to cover the material satisfactorily. After offering a detailed and well-documented summary of Oord’s ideas, then, and only then, the student will state her own informed opinion about the text. Here, too, you should endeavor to establish your argument and summary in the text. You must learn to quote the text in your summary and learn to appropriate the most pertinent of the author’s statements into your summary.  I cannot emphasize this enough in all your written work in this class.

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Each “essay set” assignment comprises a set of three distinct essay question prompts designed to stimulate the student’s thinking and assess the knowledge gleaned from the textbook reading. Each essay question should be answered with a 2 to 3 page double spaced essay, but compiled and submitted as a single document (three essays for a total of 6 to 9 pages, double spaced). It is expected that the course textbook reading will qualify as the primary source for writing essays; however, students are permitted to use other sources. Any sources quoted or used in the essay should be cited. Each essay is meant to answer a related group of questions, so it is important that you are thorough in answering the questions completely. Essay Set 1 Prompt: 1) You are speaking with a new friend in the neighborhood. The conversation takes a turn towards religion, and you begin to share your faith and background with your friend. This friend shows a smirk across his face, and then states that he doubts that Jesus ever lived. How would you respond to him? 2) You meet a person on the ski lift at a local ski area, and in making small talk, you mention that you are taking college classes in the Bible. This new acquaintance is not trying to be antagonistic, but nevertheless, brings up something that he had heard regarding the “corruption” of the Bible. Upon further inquiry, you discover that this man has taken for granted the argument that the New Testament was corrupted over the centuries through the transmission process, and is thus unreliable. How might you answer him? 3) In an essay, answer the following question: Why is it important for the Christian to believe in the historicity of Jesus Christ? Or in other words, why is historicity important? The key word in this question is “why”. Be sure to answer accordingly. We are using the book On Guard by On Guard. Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision, by Willian Lane Craig. David C. Cook, 2010 This site has some of the book: http://www.stjohnadulted.org/on-guard-home.htm full book: https://lkbukz.ga/book.php?id=Xm55ZJSBe2AC

BIB 314 Signature Assignment: The culminating assignment for this course provides the opportunity for students to consider how the person, teaching, and ‘work’ of Jesus continue to impact the world today by using the text of Matthew and at least two other sources from the list below to respond to a specific situation. Students will select a case study from among those provided below and develop an analysis of how Jesus would respond to the situation using Matthew and their 2 other selected sources from the list below. Students will conclude the essay by reflecting briefly on their own resonance or dissonance with the Jesus-style response they have presented. This assignment must be submitted to moodle, which is linked to turnitin.com for this assignment. Use two of these sources in addition to the text of Matthew to develop your Jesus-style response: Kraybill The Upside-Down Kingdom Service project experience and response essay Church visit and response essay Preparation worksheet(s) for this course In-class activities and/or discussion Topic: 2. Where to Work? Discuss how the Gospel of Matthew and your other 2 sources contribute to your thinking about possible future occupations that you choose to pursue. Where would Jesus work?! Rewrite the the attached file. Must be free of plagiarism per turn it in report. Turn it in report must be provided with final draft.

For each of these reading assignments, you should write a summary: Write a ONE page precis or summary of the author’s major arguments and main points. These written reflections should briefly state: What is the importance of each work, and what’s your assessment of it? What of value do you find here? Can you extend the author’s claims into theological insight, cultural understanding, and ethical action for your ministry setting and beyond? In what ways? What is the take-away for the practice of ministry?

You must write a review and critique of the book based on the following format. The write-up and critique will be due in the class Dropbox on the date indicated on the Weekly Schedule. The write-up and critique should consist of the following: Introductions (one or two paragraphs) Bibliographic information (author, title, date of publication, number of pages, type of book). Brief overview of the book and what you believe the author’s intentions were in writing the book. Summary of the content (about two pages) Brief summary of the key points of each chapter or group of chapters (paraphrase the information but use short quotes when appropriate) Evaluation (about two pages) Provide your evaluation of the book. What do you think the authors got right? What do you think they got wrong? What were your main takeaways from the book? What, if anything, will you do in your entrepreneurial career differently as a result of reading the book? What were your favorite portions of the book and why? You can evaluate the book in other ways if you’d like. Individual Topic (two to three pages) Select one topic from the book (an example would be trade shows) and do some additional research on that topic. Compare your research to the way the topic is presented in the book. In other words, if trade shows is your topic, do some research on trade shows, talk about how trade shows are normally setup, discuss why businesses attend trade shows, and then comment on how your research lines up with the way trade shows were depicted in the book.

Compare the most important features of your personal worldview to the worldview you found in the first section. Then explain whether this class has changed any part of your worldview, and if so how. Finally, assess the possible impact that this semester’s study has had on you personally, whether positive, negative, or no impact. Your paper must have at least 3 quotations from the Bible.  Do not insert any quote  longer than 6 lines, and no paper should have more than 10% of it in quotations.  If a quote is  important enough to insert in your paper, then it is important enough for you to spend some  time analyzing.  First, insert the quote, and then tell me what is important about the quote.   Analyze the quote.

On pages 130-132, Fr. Harrington provides us with 25 statements that outline the distinctive Catholic approach to reading and interpreting the Bible. In this paper, choose the 10 that most resonate with you. Why did you choose these 10? Elaborate and expand upon Fr. Harrington’s summary. Make a strong argument why these should be the top ten. Additionally, choose 5 statements that carry less authority for you. Why don’t these statements resonate with you? Make sure you use proper citations when using material from the text. Also, format any scripture quotes properly. The following twenty-five statements can serve as both a summary of the principal points in this book and an outline of the distinctively Catholic approach to reading and interpreting the Bible: 1.  From the beginning the Bible and the church have existed in a circular or symbiotic relationship. 2.  The Bible is best understood as the word of God in human language. 3.  Catholics follow the larger Old Testament canon adopted by the early church, while Protestants and Jews limit their canonical Old Testament to the Hebrew Bible. 4.  Catholics follow the traditional twenty-seven-book canon of the New Testament along with other Christians. 5.  The canonical writings serve as the rule or norm of faith and practice for Catholics, though they do not regard the Bible as the only source of divine revelation. 6.  Catholics regard Scripture as a privileged witness to divine revelation and an occasion for divine revelation. 7.  Catholics regard Scripture as written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 8.  Catholics regard Scripture as a trustworthy and inerrant guide on the road to salvation. 9.  The kind of religious imagination nurtured by the Catholic tradition is especially helpful in entering into how the Bible communicates. 10.  The Bible is available to Catholics in modern translations, accompanied by reliable introductions and notes. 11.  Historical-critical analysis, properly understood and shorn of rationalist or positivist philosophical presuppositions, is the indispensable method for the scientific study of the meaning of a biblical text. 12.  Catholics read the Old Testament for its wise teachings about God and human existence, and as preparation for and a witness to Jesus Christ. 13.  Catholics view the Gospels as the product of a complex process of tradition from Jesus through the early church to the Evangelists, while providing an honest and true account of Jesus Christ. 14.  Although the Gospels are not anti-Jewish in themselves, they are potentially anti-Jewish when taken out of their historical context. 15.  In telling the story of the origin and growth of the church, Acts and the Epistles offer advice, consolation, and challenge to Christians in every age. 16.  The Catholic reading of Scripture has been enriched by insights from philosophical hermeneutics about authors, texts, readers, and the effective history of texts. 17.  The literal sense of Scripture is the meaning that has been expressed directly by the inspired human authors. 18.  The spiritual sense of Scripture is the meaning that is expressed by the biblical texts when read, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the context of the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ and of the new life that flows from it. 19.  The fuller sense of Scripture is the deeper meaning of the text, intended by God but not clearly expressed by the human author. 20.  Scripture and tradition flow from the same divine wellspring, and form a single deposit of the word of God which is entrusted to the church. 21.  All Catholics should have easy access to Scripture, and all preaching and teaching in the Catholic Church should be nourished and ruled by Scripture. 22.  Though the Magisterium is not above the word of God expressed in Scripture and tradition, it may on occasion serve as the final arbiter in resolving conflicts about biblical interpretation pertaining to faith and morals. 23.  To actualize Scripture means to bring its meaning into the present time through theology, preaching, teaching, group Bible study, various artistic expressions, and so on. 24.  Inculturation involves communicating the word of God in such a manner as to reach people in their own place and cultural context. 25.  Lectio divina—with its steps of reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation and/or action—is a simple and proven method for reading, interpreting, and praying on Scripture in the Catholic tradition. Harrington, SJ, Daniel J.,. How Do Catholics Read the Bible? (The Come & See Series) (p. 132). Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition.

This is a discussion paper. I need 1.5 page. * Please write the “Key Concepts” first then include 1. Author’s perspective 2. Intended audience 3. Purpose of the text 4. Main thesis and argument for its support 5. Style of writing 6. Personal comments, reactions, questions (*Include)

Students must find one article from a reputable news source pertaining to religion (can be about religion in general or about a specific religious community or tradition) and a contemporary issue related to their college major/minor or career goals. Articles must come from a reputable news source (not a blog, academic journal article, opinion piece, or a religiously affiliated website) and published within the last five years. Try using The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Atlantic as beginning sites. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that religion in America reaches beyond religious institutions and into the public world. Please include a working hyperlink to the article. Once an article is posted, the student should briefly summarize the article (3-4 sentences) and then how the article pertains to their major/minor/career goals (3-4 sentences). Students should not take a side on the issue but present the facts as objectively as possible. The article is worth 25 points. As an example: “Americans Are Becoming Less Religious,” US News https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-04-11/americans-are-becoming-less-religious (Links to an external site.) – This article examines the new data indicating that Americans’ religious affiliations and practices are in decline. The purpose of these articles are to: Demonstrate that religion intersects with all majors/minors in the contemporary world. I guarantee this is possible. Introduce students to elements of each religious tradition outside of specific institutions (temples, churches, mosques, etc.) Illuminate the fact that religion is complicated in the modern world. With each article submission, students should: Include a link to the article. Find an article from an objective journalistic source not attached to the religion. The New York Times, The Washington Post are great places to begin your search. Blogs, academic journals, and educational sites are not proper material for this assignment. Include a well-developed paragraph (Please use 3-4 sentences to summarize the article and 3-4 sentences) to make the connections with your major and/or minor. Major/Minor must be stated in every article submission. Full credit will be given if the article submission meets all the requirements. Deductions will be given if student fails to include any part of the submission.