Friday

Enter the Bible

Today I came across two excellent websites from Luther Seminary. The first is called Enter the Bible: http://www.enterthebible.org/ and it is essentially a free Bible encyclopedia written by the faculty at Luther. It provides summaries, outlines, maps, history, art, and much more on every book of the Bible. It is great for background information, Bible study groups, and quality entry level biblical knowledge.

The second is called Working Preacher: http://www.workingpreacher.org/ and it has a variety of ecumenical preachers and scholars giving insight on every individual lectionary text for each week. Each separate text has a different author. Many other resources are on this site as well.

Check them out!

Thursday

Word Associations: Proleptic Eschatology

"Proleptic" = anticipatory; assumption that a future event has already happened.

"Eschatology" = from the Greek eschatos "last" and -logy "study of." The study of the end time, last days, the consummation and perfection of God's creation.

Flash-forward;
God's future, accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ;
the new heavens and new earth;
anticipation of the reconciliation of all things;
God's goal for creation;
the first fruits of the resurrection;
the "now" and the "not yet;"
the time between the resurrection and the last days.

Key scripture reference:
Isaiah 11:6 "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb"
See also Isaiah 65:25.
Art: The Peaceable Kingdom
See also Ted Peters, God, the World's Future.





Wednesday

Logical Fallacies: Top Ten List

A logical fallacy is a false argument. It is used to divert, undermine or create support for an idea based on irrelevant information. Logical fallacies are often used by advertisers and by campaigning politicians. They are the enemy of clear, honest and objective thinking because they mimic the truth and twist the facts. 

Here is a top ten list of my personal (not-so) favorites:

10. Red Herring (see illustration above): The introduction of a diverting, unrelated topic. Example: I know I dented the car, but did you see the package that came for you in the mail?
9. False Dilemma: A choice is presented as either/or when in fact there are numerous options. Example: Do you walk to school or take a cab?

8. Poisoning the Well: Presenting a negative comment before a person speaks, to discredit their idea. Example: Joe seems to think he is an expert on this. Let's hear what he has to say.

7. Guilt by Association: Rejecting an argument because the person proposing it is connected to someone disliked by the hearer. Example: Your cousin is a liar, so I cannot believe anything you say.

6. Genetic Fallacy: Endorses or disqualifies a claim based on its connection to a (negative) history. Example: Volkswagens are lemons, because the company was founded in Nazi Germany.

5. Non sequitur: Conclusions that do not follow from the premise. Example: Since we have no money, it is important to boost our spirits by going out to dinner.

4. Begging the question: This assumes that the thing you are trying to prove is true. Also called a circular argument. Example: Barth has the best theology because he is the most influential theologian.

3. Appeal to pity: Accepting an argument because of sympathy or emotional appeal. Example: You should buy this newspaper subscription from me because it will help keep kids off the streets.

2. Appeal to the popular: Accepts popular opinion as an automatic reason for change. Example: Students don't like to receive grades, therefore they should be eliminated.

1. Special Pleading (double standard): Applying special status to the validity of an assertion because of the status of the person promoting it. Example: You cannot refute what I claim, because you are not: a woman, in the union, etc.

Monday

Initium Est Dimidium Facti

"Once you've started, you're halfway there." This old Latin proverb (see title) has been around for a long time, and with good reason. Starting something, whether a savings account, a paper, or a scarf, puts you on the road to your destination.
This week, try to begin the projects you have remaining in the semester. First ask, "what, exactly, do I have left to do?"
  • Reading? Spend an hour looking over your books and articles and figure out how to create a study guide for your final. Strategize the time slots for reading specific sections. Find background material on the assigned topic if necessary.
  • Writing? Choose a topic or a thesis, begin your research, or organize a structure for your paper. Go back to the syllabus or written assignment and analyze what you are being asked to do. Think about your plan, and take notes.
  • Sermon? Start by reading your text and taking notes on what you notice about it. Move to commentaries or other resources.
  • Stressed out? Begin to walk or to listen to music or to buy some groceries. Don't worry about finishing for now - just start!

Criticism and Praise

When I was young I took piano lessons. My teacher would stand behind me, watching as I played. Sometimes he wrote a comment I appreciated at the top of my piece of music: "Excellent!" or "Nice!"

He also wrote comments I dreaded, like "Work on the rhythm!" or "Slow down!"

Things don't change that much. Adults still search for the positive comments and cringe at criticism. A test or paper returned with anything less than glowing praise is still an unwelcome sight.

But, what if we could invert our reactions to critique? After all, feedback is usually meant to inspire improvement. What if we saw statements such as: "I don't understand this paragraph!" as a chance to learn something? What if we viewed our critic as a trusted and honest friend rather than a misguided enemy? If a comment about our work is the truth, it is possible (though painful), to examine it and determine how we might make an adjustment.

This is one way academic miracles happen. An average student can make huge strides in the quality of their work if they will accept and benefit from criticism. A good student's work can become even better.

Clear Thinking

 Writing is your thought process, in a document. If you think clearly, you will write clearly, so if your paper is wandering, it is because your thoughts are not focused. Conversely, if you have "thought it through," it will be obvious in your writing.

Characteristics of Clear Thinking
  • It is organized. It follows a road map, in an orderly progression. It does not go "four-wheeling" all over the countryside.
  • It is logical. It starts with a premise; gives strong, valid evidence to make reasoned arguments, and forms pertinent conclusions that follow from that evidence.
  • It makes transitions. It does not make leaps, but rather builds sentence-bridges to connect the ideas.
  • It asks questions of itself. Have I overstated? understated? Does my argument consider all of the other positions, or the nuances?
  • It accepts boundaries. The scope of a paper, argument or conclusion has limitations. Clear thinking recognizes these and acknowledges them up front. I am doing this. I am not doing that . . .
Clarify your thoughts before writing in order to write more quickly, more fluidly and in order to produce work that makes a genuine contribution.

Tuesday

Goldilocks and the Three Topics (a dialectical three)

Once upon a time, a young woman was choosing a topic for her 15-page church history paper.

First, she thought she would write on "The Church in the Middle Ages." She found 2403 books that told of 230 people arguing about dozens of doctrines. She had no idea how to corral them into 15 pages. Her first topic was TOO BIG!

Next she thought she would try "Typical Lunch Menus at the Cluny Abbey." This topic would integrate her interest in cooking. "Brilliant!" she thought. Alas, she could only find one paragraph on the subject. There didn't seem to be enough information for a 15-page paper. Her topic, it seemed, was TOO SMALL!

Finally she settled in on the topic: "Monastic Corruption and Cluniac Reforms." She could describe and analyze this topic in 15 pages. There were enough resources. She would know exactly what to look for when she did her research. Ah, yes, this topic was JUST RIGHT!

Now it was time for a break, so she went to the kitchen and made a delicious stew. She was sure the monks at Cluny would have enjoyed it. The End

Monday

Summery? No, Summary!

Summery? . . . flowers, sunshine . . .

That shows what can happen if you change one letter in a word. If you mis-spell summary with an "e" instead of an "a," you get summery.
But no, this post is really about the importance of a good summary.

A good summary restates what the author was trying to say in a brief form. It does not include a critique, opinion, analysis or any emotional words that reveal what you think about the ideas. It is coldly and cleanly objective. The author of the piece you are summarizing (should they read your summary) would say, “That is exactly what I meant!”

You include all of the main points, reconstructing the outline of the argument. You do not twist the author’s meaning in any way. You need to gain the perspective of the author, so you can restate what they are saying fairly and accurately. This does not imply that the summarizer (you) is on board with the argument. You do not need to believe it or agree with their ideas. Your critique or analysis of what the author said may or may not come later.

So, to summarize, spell words correctly to help avoid reader-mind-wandering. Summarize your sources like a reporter, objectively and without prejudice. Even if you think they are dead-on wrong.

Detachment Can Be a Good Thing

Detachment is usually not a good thing. It is bad for a friendship or a marriage. Christianity is centered on God’s attachment to us, and our familial ties as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. To be detached can imply not caring, not invested, ambivalent or peripheral.

So in what way can detachment be good?
  • It is good if we are not so “attached” to our writing that we can’t see its (sometimes glaring) weaknesses.
  • It is good if it gives us enough objectivity to understand a different/new perspective without excess emotion.
  • It is good if it means we can examine an idea with no other goal than understanding the argument behind it.
  • It is good if we can analyze and critique concepts without having to embrace or reject them wholesale.
  • It is good if it helps us to examine logical fallacies (false arguments) in some of our own assumptions and beliefs.
If you really care about something, use your passion to understand it in all of its subtleties. You will be better able to persuade others if you are willing to examine your ideas and beliefs with a critical objective eye.

Deconstructing Mid-Term Exams

You have been reading and listening to lectures. You have a syllabus and a stack of books.

You can control this content. You are not its victim. You can conquer it, dissect it, and break it into its component parts.

Before you get to that chair and blue book on exam day, you can lower your anxiety by outsmarting your test. But how? By remembering the following:

1. What did the syllabus say about the focus of this test? Is it your lectures? Readings? All of it? Some of it? Essay? Objective?
2. What did the professor say about the test? Pay close attention to this. Did you receive a study guide? Use it.
3. Create a study guide as you read. Your book may have a table of contents that makes a great start to an outline. Your syllabus may give you an outline in the form of your weekly lectures.
4. Don't forget details. Include 2-3 descriptors for each name, date, or main point. You will use them in your answers on the test.
5. Once you are in the chair, staring at the test, READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY AND DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY SAY. I put that in caps because it is the most important.
6. Make a plan. Include the time you will devote to each question, which you will do first (start with the "easiest") and quick notes on what you remember about each question.

Take the test apart, in order to properly put it back together. Get a good night's sleep, and go in with confidence.

Wednesday

Wordy?

Some sentences don't have enough words. On the other hand, some sentences have surplus, extra and unnecessary words.

Here is an example: When reading seminary textbooks and articles, one discovers that many times the author, whoever he or she may be, uses needless clauses and modifiers, that is, descriptive and parenthetical words and phrases, to try to communicate with you the reader, perhaps thinking that such a tactic sounds more sophisticated or academic or maybe just to see if you can plow through all the verbiage to get to the point they may (or may not) be making.
WHEW! Try to read that without taking a breath.

The written world of theological and biblical studies is full of long, run-on, dense and hard-to-read texts. When reading them, do your best to skim and scan for the main point. You can't change the authors you are assigned to read, or their enabling editors.

When YOU write, it is not an asset to be wordy. You can be clear, and have a precise point to each sentence and paragraph. You can communicate with a variety of sentences, changing the length and the structure to suit the flow of your argument. Your professor will thank you, and you will become, through practice, a fluid writer.

Tuesday

"Building" a Paper

Let’s say a paper is a house – new construction. The owner is the professor. He or she determines the basic scope of the project, the size and shape. The professor tells you what to write: a two page reflection paper, or a 600-word prĂ©cis or an exegetical paper with three specific sections.

Some professors (owners) are more involved in the details of the paper than others. Some choose every fixture and paint color while others leave most choices to the architect/builder.

The architect/builder is you, the student/writer. You take the owner’s instructions, and create the design. You choose a topic (floor plan) and organize the ideas (plumbing and wiring systems). You do the research (hire sub-contractors) and shape it into its final form, attending to all of the details. You revise and copy edit (go back and clean up the site), so every mistake is made right.

The architect is not the owner. She can't design a ranch house when the owner asked for a cape cod. She will get fired if she does that. Similarly, a summary is not equivalent to a reflection paper. You have to do what the professor asks.

The architect is also not merely a collector of subcontractors (sources). He has control. He shapes and crafts the plan (argument). He is in charge of how the details are arranged and executed. He is making a new thing.

The paper/house must conform to the specs (specifications) of the professor/owner, but the writer has freedom to design and shape within those boundaries. Not unlike the relationship between God and human beings in the garden. (No, I do not think professors are equivalent to God.)

Accept the boundaries, and go for it: design a functional, beautiful space/a creative paper, just what the professor ordered.

Insider Jargon

Carpenters make things plumb, lawyers do pro bono work, dating couples have DTRs, and cooks deglaze their pans.

Biblical Scholars discuss redactions and the Apocrypha.

Theology has its own jargon. So does church history, pastoral care, and missiology. Seminary has multiple sets of insider jargon, because its classes are coming from distinct academic disciplines.

Perhaps you were prepared to study vocabulary words in Greek and Hebrew, but who knew how many new words there would be in all the other classes? Part of a wise schema-building strategy is to crack the vocabulary codes of each discipline.

Here are some ways to find, or make lists of words and their definitions:
  1. Make your own list. As you read and listen to lectures, write down the words you don’t know. Look them up and write the definition.
  2. Look in your syllabus. Your professor may suggest a pertinent glossary, or define key concepts for you.
  3. Look in your books. Some have glossaries in the back. Copy them and have them next to your book as you read.
  4. Look in the reference section of the library for a “Dictionary of . . . (Bible, Theology, Church History)” Use it/them or buy your own.
If you load vocabulary early on, you will start to understand and communicate like a true insider.

Read Before Reading: The Syllabus

 The documents (syllabi, bibliographies) distributed during the first days of the term are critical to effective reading and writing throughout the semester.

Professors spend weeks creating their syllabi, which address the objectives of the course and the curriculum. Some are very long and give detailed assignments. Some are shorter, with details supplied later.

A quick glance at these documents will give you the basic timing of your reading and writing assignments. It will help you plan your calendar to allow for longer assignments. It will give you an idea of where the professor is headed by telling you the approach and "interest" of the course.

A deeper analysis of the documents can put you in control of your reading and writing in more profound ways. As you examine the assigned readings over the course of the semester, ask yourself how they relate to the topics of lectures, or to other tests and papers. How do they connect to your prior knowledge of the subject?

Will you need to write a paper in response to the reading? Answer questions on an essay test? Can you combine the reading and writing in ways that compliment your interests or goals? Can you build on something which interested you in another course? Could you later develop one of the assignments into a sermon, a Bible study, or a future article for a journal?

If you begin the semester by asking these sorts of questions, you will feel greater control and better understand the intentions of the professor. You will be able to remember more of what you read. 

Soccer, Accounting and Seminary

The captain of my son’s college soccer team once said: “You have to be an honest accountant of your own game.” Is your deficit in footwork? speed? quickness? passing skills? seeing the field? Tell the truth, he said, and work on the weak spots.

Seminary students do not usually look to sports/business metaphors for insight, but this advice provides a good word for everyone who reads and writes for the sake of the gospel. How do we communicate more precisely, think more clearly, read with greater insight? We start by telling the truth about our “game.”

A good writer/reader is self-aware and able to accurately tally personal strengths and weaknesses. Am I a procrastinator? Am I too wordy? What is my academic background in relation to the expected work? Put the credits and debits in the proper columns.

How do you correct shortfalls, fill gaps, improve skills? Coaches are all around: librarians, advisors, professors, tutors. There are glossaries, online writing labs, and encyclopedias. Develop a realistic plan to persistently move forward. If something doesn’t work, figure out how to fix, or at least improve it.
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