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Theological Reflection Essays and Research Papers

Instructions for Theological Reflection College Essay Examples

Title: Theological Reflection Paper Buddhism

Total Pages: 4 Words: 1368 References: 5 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Theological Reflection Paper: This paper will involve theological and critical analysis of Buddhism. It should be at least 4 pages double-spaced, not including the title page. The student is expected to research and review extensively and express their own conclusions. Part of this papers overall grade will deal directly with the input of the student. Use MLA style for the research portion of the paper. A bibliography is required. Their will need to be at least five sources and three of them must be books sources.

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: A Theological Reflection and Application

Total Pages: 5 Words: 1473 Works Cited: 0 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper

Essay Instructions: Please follow the criteria below!!

This assignment is theological reflection on and application of the laws concerning the needy in Exodus 22:21-27; Leviticus 19:9-10; Deut 14:28-29; 15:1-18; 16:9-15. It should be about 1500-1800 words, which is about five to six double-spaced pages, using Times New Roman 12.


Here are some instructions for how to write the paper:

Carefully study the passages (laws) concerning the needy (this includes the Levites, widows, aliens, fatherless, poor, debtors, slaves, etc.) in Exodus 22:21-27; Leviticus 19:9-10; Deut 14:28-29; 15:1-18; 16:9-15.

Page 1: After carefully studying those passages, write on what actions God requires of the Israelites in relation to the poor or needy in their midst.

Page 2: Then, discuss on what basis God requires his people to treat the poor well.

Page 3: Then, discuss the negative consequences for disobedience and the positive consequences for obedience.

Page 4: Then, discuss what aspect of the character of God is being demonstrated in these laws.

Page 5: Also discuss what kind of character God requires of his people.

Page 6: Then, apply the theological truth gained to the contemporary situation (to the church today). What does God requires of the church in relation to the needy in our midst?



Rules for the Theological Reflections and Applications:

1. Give biblical reference (e.g. Ex 3:4-5) where appropriate.

2. DO NOT QUOTE ANY VERSE FROM THE BIBLE. I am interested in your theological reflection on the biblical passage.

3. When you theologically analyzing the text, your task is to discuss either God or his people Israel. . . what God is doing, what Israel is doing, and those things tell us about them. This means your discussion or explanation of the text is purely about God and Israel, and none about ou?or ?or e,?since ou?or ?or e?are not what the text is describing. Therefore, you must not use first-person pronouns in this paper, except for in your pplication?of the theological ideas to our contemporary situation (i.e. church).

Grading Criterion:

___ (120) Comprehensiveness (the extent to which the main features of the assignment are covered, including length of the paper, rules followed, and giving appropriate biblical references)

___ (60) Clarity (ability to clearly organize and communicate your thoughts; grammar and spelling)

___ (60) Comprehension (the extent to which the texts and issues were understood)

___ (30) Critical Thinking (ability to evaluate positions and defend a position)

___ (30) Other (creativity, ability to hold audience, unusual insight, etc.)

___ (300) TOTAL GRADE

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: Evaluation of Elaine Grahams Transforming Practice Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty

Total Pages: 16 Words: 4411 Bibliography: 1 Citation Style: Chicago Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: The book that will be used in this paper is Elaine Graham’s Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty (New York: Mowbray, 1996)

Overview:
This paper will examine and offer a critical evaluation of Elaine Graham’s transforming practice approach to practical theology.
This paper should consist of two parts. Part one is a summary of this book or of her approach (8 pages). Part two is a critical evaluation of her approach (12 pages). To do this, the writer must look specifically at four main criteria: 1) her interdisciplinary method, 2) sources of justification, 3) the theory-praxis relationship, and 4) theological rationale.


Notes:
1. In Transforming Practice, Elaine Graham argues that practical theology must face up the challenges of a postmodern context characterized by a high degree of pluralism, fragmentation, and skepticism. It is a context of uncertainty in which it is no longer possible for theology to build on a consensus of values in society. Nor can theology take for granted the authority of traditional sources and norms of the church. It must find new ways of developing truth claims and values that will be persuasive to a skeptical postmodern world.

2. Graham develops an approach to normativity that can help the church and society move beyond the oppressive legacy of patriarchy, which defines human nature by assuming that maleness and masculinity are the norm.

3. Graham argues that normativity must be approached reflexively, not prescriptively, as dialogue and reflection on the practical wisdom emerging in communities of transforming practice. As she puts it: “Principles of truth and value are not to be conceived as transcendent eternal realities, but as provisional—yet biding—strategies of normative action and community within which shared commitments might be negotiated and put to work. Ethics and politics therefore become processes and practices, rather than applications of metaphysical ideals.” (pp.6-7)

4. Over the course of her book, Graham develop three central arguments about transforming practice in the Christian community:
4.1. Transforming practice generates new knowledge and values that cannot be formed in any other way;
4.2. Such practice is oriented to human freedom and love and struggles to overcome structures of domination, including the oppression of women;
4.3. Transforming practice discloses God and offers a model of transcendence that is compelling to many people in our postmodern context

5. Graham’s three criteria to assess transforming practice:
5.1. Transforming practice must contribute to liberation praxis. While this does not provide specific morns to guide particular actions, it does give guidance about the basic intent of transforming practice. Such practice contributes to the struggle both inside and outside the church to liberate people from social and economic oppression. Good practice is liberating.
5.2. Transforming practice must give special priority to and make space for women’s experience, leadership in an effort to form new practices of gender identity, relationships, and roles.
5.3. Since the diversity of women’s experience makes it impossible to posit a single norm for all transforming practice, such norms must emerge reflexively out of particular, local practices that embody new patterns of gender in a specific Christian community. Transforming practice opens up a space for conversation in which people reflect on the values and meanings that are emerging out of their experience.

6. In Graham’s approach, transforming practice is pivotal. It is the generative source of new knowledge, values, and social patterns. She offers three criteria with which to guide and assess transforming practice in the church:
6.1. Does it contribute to human liberation as an expression of the Christian commitment to freedom and love?
6.2. Does it attend to women’s experience without “essentializing” this experience?
6.3. Does it support the reflexive consolidation of practical wisdom emerging out of practice, within a commitment to alterity.
Near the end of her book, she draws on these criteria to assess several examples of feminist transforming practice.
7. While I appreciate Graham’s recognition of the importance of women (as well as other powerless groups) and the diversity of their experience, her work does not clearly explain how the Bible, the Christian story, and Christian tradition fit into her version of practical theology. Her theology is not very specific about how to actually go about discerning communal performative truth claims. For me, a practical theological approach must be grounded in theological reflection, and identity for Christians should be rooted in the Christian story whose central theme is the activity of God at the core of human experience. Furthermore, it also seems that Graham too fully embraces postmodern cultural relativism and non-realist views of God in her work.

8. Concerning interdisciplinary method, Graham develops her approach of transforming practice by entering into a dialogue with two European sociologists, Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu.

9. In terms of her sources of justification, Graham give special attention to women’s experience in their particular situations as their main source of justification over tradition, reason, and Scripture.

10. Concerning the issue of the theory-praxis relationship, Graham claims the particularity of both the theory of divine and human action and the situation where they are related; acknowledge that a theory is built upon some generalizations and note the need for contextualization; work at the metatheoretical level—creating ways to guide the development of a theory of practice that takes seriously the diversity of people and the importance of particularity in pastoral ministry. Graham follows the lead of liberation theology and feminist theology in developing her approach to practical theology.

11. To consider theological rationale, Graham claims that God’s presence is found in specific and concrete situations. In other words, God works incarnationally—in the particular and in the concrete. This means not only that the particular groups of women will have different experiences but that all experiences will be distinct. It also means that our incarnational God discloses Godself to us through our real-life issues, common experience, and practice.

Excerpt From Essay:

Essay Instructions: I need a six page theological reflection paper. You can refer to my previous paper work here (The file is attached with this message, which I have been through over this summer term. And write your own theological beliefs and how have been shaped or changed after reading.
What did you believe before and what do you believe now.. something like that.
I've got so much things to do now.
This paper does not necessarily need to have footnotes or other apparatus.
I strongly suggest you to get with one of your Christian employers.

Excerpt From Essay:

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