Reason and Worship

REASON AND WORSHIP ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

OVERVIEW
As you move toward an understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, developing
an understanding of the role reason plays in various aspects of the Chritian life and worldview is
increasingly important. Worship, being a central component of the Christian life for the follower
of Jesus, is one such aspect in need of thoughtful consideration. As such, this assignment will
allow you to reflect on what you have learned about reason and faith and examine how reason
can be understood as an act of worship for the Christian believer.
INSTRUCTIONS
The goal of this assignment is to provide an opportunity for personal reflection and application
on the topic of the exercise of reason as an act of worship to God. This assignment is an
informal, personal reflection paper that must demonstrate a good working knowledge of relevant
biblical passages and assigned course materials.

Write a 900–1,500 word essay reflecting on the exercise of reason as an act of worship. The
paper must focus on 1 central point related to the question of how the exercise of reason for the
Christian believer is an act of worship to God. The paper must comply with the following
guidelines.

Content:
 Although informal, this paper must still have a clear structure. The paper must have just 1
main point related to the topic – a point that provides unity to the overall essay. Each
paragraph must be devoted to explaining and supporting the main point, and there must
be a clear, logical flow to the presentation.
 You are encouraged to consider important questions such as:
o How is all of life an act of worship to God for the Christian believer?
o How are the use of reason and the development of the intellect a reflection of
God’s image in human beings?
o In what ways have the use of reason and the development of a robust intellectual
life been inappropriately discouraged in the church?
o How can followers of Christ be encouraged to love God with their minds?
 You are encouraged to present your own personal point of view with emphasis on how
you apply the ideas to your own life.

Research:

APOL 550

 Since this is not a research paper, a significant majority of the content must reflect your
original ideas, as shaped by your understanding and your personal analysis of the Bible
and assigned course materials.
 Because the paper is only 900–1,500 words, references to the Bible and course materials
must be brief, concise, and carefully selected to include only the most important ideas.
 The text of the Bible must not be quoted extensively in the paper. To use the Bible,
provide the relevant reference (book, chapter, verse) and in your own words, make the
point that needs to be made from that passage. Quotations of the text of the Bible must be
rare, very brief, and only for emphasis or when it is absolutely essential for clarity.
 While the paper must demonstrate a working knowledge of key ideas found in the course
materials, they must not be extensively quoted. To make a point from the course
materials, describe it concisely in your own words, as you would in ordinary professional
conversation, and provide a footnote. Quotations from course readings must be rare, very
brief, and only for emphasis or when necessary for clarity.
 Outside research beyond the course materials and the Bible is discouraged, but is
permitted on a very limited basis, and only when absolutely necessary to make a point
that is related to the assigned course materials.

Citations and references to outside sources must be relevant to the paper’s argument, and used to
support the original substance of the paper. Quotations and citations must not be used to
artificially enhance the paper. They must be used only for support of the paper’s argument, not as
substantive content.

Formatting:
 All aspects of formatting must comply with the latest edition of the Turabian style
manual and the School of Divinity Writing Guide:
http://www.liberty.edu/divinity/index.cfm?PID=28160
 Because this is a personal reflection paper, writing in the first person is appropriate.
 Required word-count totals are calculated from the main text of the paper only, excluding
the title page, footnotes, and bibliography.

Part 1: Reason and Worship: Thesis Statement and Sourced Outline Assignment
 The thesis must be consistent with the overall goal of the assignment as described above:
It must be a clear and concise claim about reason as an act of worship, and it must be
expressed in 1 sentence.

APOL 550

 The outline must reveal both the planned structure and the details of the planned content
of the final paper. The outline must reflect serious consideration of the requirements and
goals of the assignment, and give enough detail that the instructor can evaluate both the
planned structure and planned content.
 Throughout your outline, you should use relevant Scripture passages and/or other
scholarly sources to support your points and subpoints. You should give at least one
Scripture reference for each major points and any other sources you intend to use to
support points and subpoints should be indicated in your outline as well.
 Part 1 must be formatted with a proper title page, and the outline and bibliography must
match current Turabian formatting requirements for outlines and bibliographies (if
sources outside of Scripture are used, you must include a bibliography). NOTE: an
“outline” is not a “table of contents,” and should not be formatted as such.

Part 2: Reason and Worhsip: Paper Assignment
 Take into account feedback from your instructor on Part 1
 Complete your 900-1500 word paper carefully following the instructions