Category: Religion / Theology

Religion

January 26, 2020 3 Comments MLA, Religion / Theology

Prompt:  You are asked to write a 3-4 page (1000-1200 words) autobiographical paper using the course readings to better understand your own experience and background, especially your views on what it means to be a human being and how we relate to the natural world. This is a chance to reflect on how your values and beliefs have been shaped.

Remember Portier’s argument that we are shaped by our cultural and religious tradition (or traditions, as you may identify with more than one culture/religion).  You should address your religious tradition, if any, as well the specific culture in which you were raised. Keep in mind that secular Western culture is itself a tradition, which is likely to influence most members of the class, but is often left unexamined. It is the “water” that we swim in but do not notice.

You should use the readings to frame your discussion of your experience, including Portier’s chapter and at least one other reading. 

Some things you might explore:

What cultural values have you inherited? What shapes your worldview?  What “deep questions” have you been challenged with in your life?

You might draw on Portier’s discussion of extraordinary experience that raise deep questions.  Have you had an experienced that challenged you to think more deeply about human nature or the natural world? You could also discuss what our other readings have said about the modern, Western worldview of religion.

Because the paper is autobiographical, I do not necessarily expect individual papers to give all of Portier’s ideas equal weight; however, you must use readings from the course. At least a third of your paper should explain concepts from the reading including Portiers discussion of the great questions, and the nature of tradition. Your grade will be based primarily on your ability to use the reading to critically reflect on your experience.

Grading Rubric: The paper will be graded on both content and style. The two cannot be easily separated because a lack of clarity in writing style indicates a lack of clarity in ones thinking. The paper will be graded on the following criteria:

25 pts Understanding of Portier (tradition, extraordinary experience, great questions)

20 pts Application of readings to personal experience

20 pts Insight into personal history and formation within tradition(s)

10 pts Writing style (transitions, organization, clear thesis)

5 pts Mechanics (grammar, spelling, citation)

Other details: Please include your name and date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. It is good to include a page number in one corner on each page in case they are separated. The paper is to be typed and double-spaced. Feel free to print two-sided tor on scrap paper, and do not include a cover sheet.

Do cite your sources in the text, with author name and page number.  I will not require a works cited, however if you do quote or cite an outside source, do give me the details.  You do not need to do (and should not do) any additional research for this paper.  Use the sources we have read in class.  Yet there may be a quote or text that has been important to your formation which you wish to quote.

Book Review

January 24, 2020 1 Comment Chicago / Turabian, Religion / Theology

4MAT BOOK REVIEW INSTRUCTIONS
Please use the following format in preparing 4-MAT Book Reviews:

Name of book is: The Great Commission to Worship

1.    ABSTRACT. Summarize what you have read into 300 words (1 page). Prove you comprehend the readings by writing a thoughtful summary. The abstract is not a commentary or listing of topics but rather an objective summary of major themes from the reader’s viewpoint. Use third person to retain objectivity.  Abstact equals an overview of contents. This section should include a minimum of 2 footnotes to the text being reviewed.

2.    CONCRETE RESPONSE. Be vulnerable. In no less than 150 words and no more than 1 page, relate a personal life experience that this book triggered in your memory. Relate your story in first person, describing action, and quoting exact words you remember hearing or saying. In the teaching style of Jesus, this is a do-it-yourself parable, case study, confession. You will remember almost nothing you have read unless you make this critical, personal connection. What video memory began to roll? This is your chance to tell your story and make new ideas your own.

3.    REFLECTION. This is the critical thinking part of the review (not critical in the sense of negative, but in the sense of questioning). In no less than 150 words and no more than 1 page, describe what questions are raised for you in response to what you have read. Keep a rough-note sheet at hand as you read. Out smart the author by asking better questions than he/she raised in the book. Tell how the author could have made the book better or more appealing to those in your field of service. One way to begin this section is by stating what bothered you most about the book. This is not a place to provide an endorsement or affirmation of the book. This should be an objective, fair evaluation of the text. Use third person to retain the objectivity.

4.    ACTION. So what are you going to do about it? In 2-3 pages, provide at least 3 action steps that describe what actions or changes you are going to make in your life, ministry, and/or work as a result of your reading. Action steps should be measurable and reveal a commitment to specific time, specific people, and identified steps.

5.    Please provide a Turabian style* title page, pagination, footnotes, and Bibliography.

*Please contact the instructor to ask permission to use an alternate format style.
Total: 56 pages

Submit each 4Mat Book Review by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the module/week in which it is assigned.

hinduism

January 24, 2020 4 Comments Not applicable, Religion / Theology

Short essays (About 650 words, or roughly 2 pages) can be submitted after each of the 5 units on the first class meeting after the end of that unit.  In other words, an essay on Buddhism should be submitted on the first class day after the Buddhism exam (see below for a note about automatic extensions in certain cases).

Students must complete 3 of the 5 possible essays; each is worth 10% of the final grade (30% total).
At least one essay must be submitted for Hinduism or Buddhism (and students are welcome to write essays on both); in other words, students cannot “backload” their essays and write only on the last three units (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
Each essay must correspond to one of the following five options below (no repeats!) and only one essay can be submitted for each unit / religious tradition. If one of the five options is repeated (e.g., a student submits a research paper for both Buddhism and Islam), the repeated essay will receive a 20 point penalty (deducted from the “sources” section of the rubric).
Option 1: Research Using at least two academic sources (i.e., written by a trained expert in the field and/or from a scholarly publication), go beyond the textbook and lectures in order to shed further light on a particular historical period, doctrine, or ritual practice within a religious tradition. In other words, don’t just rehash material covered in the lectures or readings; also, you’re welcome to cite required readings in your paper, but they cannot count toward your two sources. You should include full bibliographical information for each source and utilize in-text citations, especially for quotations. (Please note: secondary sources can be print or electronic but should be written by a scholar/expert; Wikipedia is a fine starting place for identifying further sources, but it should not be used as a source itself. I recommend searching for articles through the databases on lib.utah.edu or scholar.google.com and books.google.com).

Summarize chapter 1 and 5 of Courage calling by Gordon T. Smith

January 23, 2020 No Comments APA, Religion / Theology

Summarize Chapter 1 and 5 of Courage calling by Gordon T. Smith in 2 pages. I enclosed the website of the book in PDF. Paraphrase the words do not quote, and in-text citation must be inserted. In 2 pages summarize chapter 1 and 5 of the book Courage calling by Gordon T. Smith. Please includes Introduction, Body paragraph, and Conclusion. Use nurses or caregivers as a point to reflect in the paper

https://marshill.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CourageandCallingChap1and2.pdf
I only have chapter 1, let me know if you need chapter 5 as well.

Example of the paraphrase:
Smith (2011) states:

If each person is of inestimable worth, and, further, if we can ask how each person can flourish, it naturally follows that we recognize all of this requires intentionality: we need to ask, what can we do to be good stewards of our lives, of the gifts, talents and opportunities that God gives to us? (p. 23)

To be a good steward means to wisely use the resources you have been given, in whatever form they come. It requires vocational integrity by which you carry out your work for the Lord, whether that be in a current profession or as a student in preparation for Gods vocational calling on your life. This vocational integrity is evident through excellence, truth, diligence, generosity, and Sabbath (Smith, 2011).

Reference

Smith, G. T. (2011). Courage and calling: Embracing your God-given potential. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

World Religion

January 23, 2020 No Comments MLA, Religion / Theology

Here are the EXACT instructions.

Essay – #1
700 Words/ 8 Paragraph minimum
3 source minimum with works cited page. (no in text citations necessary)
Pick one of these four religions:
        Indigenous Religions (excluding Shinto)
        Hinduism
            Jainism   
            Buddhism

DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE RELIGION!
Write about the BOOK, FOUNDER, A MAJOR DIVISION, OR A PRACTICE (examples: a holiday/ religious festival, wedding ceremony, or becoming a monk or shaman, one of their martial arts or foods or crafts)
       
Attention: Only weddings from Indian religions will be accepted and NO papers on Christmas like Santa or trees or Easter bunnies or eggs will be accepted Please avoid saying what you think other people should believe. Write about a religion you know little about.  Secondly, teachings/doctrines are more important than the window dressings/ practices, so please focus on them.

Pictures, charts and/or maps will help your presentation and grade.

you may state your opinion briefly in the introduction or conclusion, but the main information in the paper should give the viewpoint of the members of the religion you are writing about.  NO RANTS!

ARTICLE REFLECTION PAPER 2

January 21, 2020 No Comments Chicago / Turabian, Religion / Theology

ARTICLE REFLECTION PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

For this article reflection, you will read the assigned article for that module/week. The Article to be read and Reflected upon is attached in PDF format  titled ( GLST 650 Understanding Culture by Lloyd Kwast ) under the Drag and Drop Additional materials section
Each article reflection paper must be 500700 words and include:

1.  A paragraph that provides an overall summary of the article.

2. The rest of the paper you will reflect on, analyze, and apply at least 3 specific content references (i.e. a direct quotes or references from the article).

3. Need a Table of Content, Title page Footnotes, and all the details contained in the Grading Rubric should be in the paper.

Discussion Board Forum 1

January 21, 2020 4 Comments Chicago / Turabian, Religion / Theology

TEXTBOOK READINGS FOR THE PAPER

1. Livermore, David. Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success. 2nd ed. New York: AMACOM, 2015. ( READ CHAPTERS 1 – 4A )

2.  Toomey, Stella T., and Leeva C. Chung. Understanding Intercultural Communication. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. ( READ CHAPTER 1 )

BIBLE READINGS NEEDED FOR THE PAPER

1. ROMANS CHAPTERS 2 AND 3

DISCUSSION BOARD INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be at least 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge and be supported by:
1.  2 textbook citation

2.  1 outside academic resource, and

3.  2  Biblical citation. In addition to the thread, you are required to reply to 2 other classmates threads.

DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM QUESTIONS

Discussion Board Forum 1
Topic: Communicating an Unchanging Gospel Message in a Changing World

Thread Prompt: How do the practices of intercultural communication and cultural intelligence provide insight and understanding as we seek to communicate an unchanging gospel message to people from diverse cultures and contexts?

NOTE: Please only apply for the paper if you have access to the textbooks required for the paper as above pls.

Culture Analysis Paper

January 20, 2020 5 Comments APA, Religion / Theology

The focus is on leadership in a cultural context.  Part of leading an organization effectively is creating a culture of trust, authenticity, and community. 
Reference:  Leadership in Organizations by Gary Yukl (chapter 13, 14, 16)

Write a 4-5 page paper based on the criteria below and addressing the following points:

Provide real life examples of leadership/business practices that fall in the categories of ethical, servant, spiritual and authentic leadership. 

Give one example of each (ethical, servant, spiritual and authentic), as you find them in current news stories and businesses.

Include an explanation of how these practices are in keeping with, or fall short of, biblical principles, using Scriptural support.

Two scholarly resources to support your writing.
APA format.