REL 104 - Competing Interpretations Paper (Parris)

2. Explore Your Topic

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic. Since you will be working on the same topic all semester, it is important to pick one that interests you. Take a look at Credo, the resource listed below, to get some good overviews from encyclopedias and dictionaries to help you decide which topic to choose,

Your instructor has also recommended the following book as a place to get started

Choosing a Multiview Title

Your Instructor has suggested starting with a book from the Multiview series. Below is the list of Multiview books owned by the SCC Library. If you don't see one that you need listed here, you can request that the SCC Library borrow a book from another library. Look here for more information on this process. Be aware that it can take one to three weeks to get books from other libraries, so plan ahead!

Analyze Your Topic

Who

After you have identified some Bible passages on your topic, you will need to identify who wrote those passages and who the intended audience was.

What

Reading a summary to learn more about your topic will help you understand it better. It can also provide you with keywords, specialized vocabulary, and definitions, which will be useful for future searches. You may need to familiarize yourself with the terms used to describe the topic you chose to research.

When

For this assignment, you will need to examine the historical context of relevant Bible passages. You will need to know when they were written in order to find out what events were happening at that time.  

Where

Sometimes places are important to a topic, knowing the important places associated with your topic will help you choose the best sources to consult.  

Why

Getting background information on why people are interested in your topic can help you craft an argument. Knowing if your topic plays a bigger part in the overall story or tenets of Christianity is important as you write your own interpretations of your passages.