.Essay Assignment
Instructions
Overview
The Essay
Assignments provide you with an opportunity to incorporate research and
demonstrate course-related knowledge in a written context.
Instructions
You are
required to write 5 Essay Assignments in response to a provided prompt in
the Essay Topics document. You may use the course
textbooks, scholarly articles, and the Bible as sources. Please include a title
page and reference page.
Essay must
include the following:
●
At least 500 words in
length.
●
Must include at least 3 in-text
or parenthetical citations in current APA format.
●
The Entwistle textbook is
the only required source and must be cited in the text and on the reference
page.
●
Direct quotes are not
permitted.
Note: Your
assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
Essay Topics
Essay: Epistemology
Assignment:
Define epistemology and describe the 3 models of how certain we are that our
perceptions mirror reality. Which position do you hold, and why? What are the
different methods of knowing (see Entwistle chapter 5)? What are the
limitations of these (or any) methods of knowing? What methods of knowing are
appropriate for Christians, and why?
Essay: Philosophical
Anthropology Assignment:
Define philosophical anthropology and compare the psychological and theological
understandings of philosophical anthropology. Identify several distinct
contributions offered by psychology that are absent (not offered in detail)
from Christian theology. Identify several distinct contributions offered by
Christian theology that are absent (or not offered in detail) from psychology.
Are psychological and theological perspectives on philosophical anthropology
ultimately opposed to and irreconcilable with each other, or can they be
reconciled? Defend your answer.
Essay: Combatants and
Antagonism Assignment: (Choose 1 of the 2 prompts
below on which to comment.)
Combatants:
Entwistle asserts: “those with whom we disagree often have things to
teach us… [we must] ask ourselves what is to be learned and appreciated” from
those with whom we disagree. Identify at least 3 things that you appreciate/can
learn from those who hold the secular combatants’ or Christian combatants’
versions of the Enemies model.
Antagonism:
After reading chapter 9 and watching the Antagonism video, what
concerns, if any, do you have about the influence of secular assumptions on the
field of psychology? What concerns, if any, do you have about the claims and
counsel of the nouthetic counseling movement?
Essay: Colonialism and
Scriptural Authority and Theological Interpretation Assignment (Choose 1 of the 2 prompts below on which to comment.)
Colonialism
The Colonialist model ostensibly recognizes the value of psychology,
but it does not typically result in deep engagement with the findings or
methods of psychology. How might this be applied to a topic such as eating
disorders or depression? What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages
of this approach?
Scriptural Authority and Theological Interpretation
Entwistle distinguishes between scriptural authority and theological
interpretation. Do you agree? Why might this distinction be important? Support
your view with an example.
Essay: Reflection on
God’s Works and The Glory of God Assignment (Choose
1 of the 2 prompts below on which to comment.)
Reflection on God’s Works
Entwistle noted that “theological reflection typically focuses more
on God’s workings in the world,” while “psychological reflection typically
focuses more on the workings of God’s world.” What implications does this have
for the relationship between psychology and Christianity?
The Glory of God
Kepler saw astronomers as “priests of Almighty God” who have “the
honour of standing guard…at the door of the shrine at whose high altar
Copernicus performs divine service.” How might this sentiment apply to all of
us who study the book of God’s Works? How can we heed Kepler’s warning to “not
consider the glory of our intellects, but the glory of God” in our academic and
disciplinary pursuits?