Theological Research and Writing: Writing

Formal research papers are written in the third person.  It is improper to address the reader in the second person in a research paper. This guide is written in second person, but it is not a formal research paper.  In most cases it is also improper to write in the first person.  The proper way to refer to oneself in a research paper is, “the present writer,” or “this writer.”  Refer to the “average person” as “One,” or “the reader,” etc.  

   Students are often confused about how much they should quote.  Most professors prefer that you paraphrase a majority of the time and quote sparingly.  The reason for this is that a quotation does not require as much synthesis as a paraphrase.  Paraphrasing something in one’s own words causes one to think critically about the content.  When quoting, try to quote only that which is brief and poignant.  Quote if you could not have said it better than the author said it, or if the author's exact wording is crucial to your argument.

   You can learn a lot about writing by reading and paying attention to scholarly works.  Academic books, dissertations, and theses are actually long research papers.  If your professor has written journal articles or books, have a look at those documents and you can learn a lot about what he or she might expect in a research paper.  

A research paper is the fruit of research.  If you have already developed a research question based upon an appropriate topic, your paper is simply an answer to your question based upon what you have learned.  In order to answer a question, you have to talk about the question itself.  So, you will need to clarify the question, state certain assumptions, and define certain terms.  You may need to devote a sizeable portion of writing to these details, depending on the topic and your audience.  This guide cannot and should not prescribe for you everything you need to include in your paper for your specific topic.  However, this guide will provide a model for thinking about what it is you are trying to do when you write a research paper.

This page will use a research question introduced earlier in this guide:

“What is Jesus’ attitude toward gentiles, according to the gospels?”

          The first section of your paper will introduce the topic, the research question, and your thesis statement.  It will also contain information about how you intend to organize the content of your paper.  Due to what the introduction contains, it may actually end up being the last part of the paper that you write.  Follow this basic model for writing an introduction:

Broad-to-narrow introduction to the topic

Statement of the research question

Significance of the question

Thesis statement

Organization

Example:

            It was a shocking revelation to the early church that Christ came to save both Jews and gentiles.  According to Acts, the Apostles were surprised when gentiles received the Holy Spirit.  They even convened the Jerusalem council due to this incredible turn of events.  The writings of Paul reveal this truth in explicit terms.   He declared in his epistle to the gentile Ephesians, “now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Paul's statement shows that salvation for the gentiles was, in some sense, a recent realization. There is some tension in the gospels regarding the gentiles, introducing an important question about Jesus' treatment of gentiles.  How do the gospel writers convey Jesus’ attitude toward the gentiles in His earthly ministry? This is an important question because the answer highlights the glories of the gospel for the whole world.  This paper argues that gospel writers used the words of Christ and narrative accounts of His deeds to show that Jesus saw gentiles as outsiders who were being drawn near with the coming of the Kingdom of God.  First, this paper will briefly provide some details about the literary nature of the gospels and will state the present writer’s basic assumptions about the gospel texts.  Secondly, this paper will discuss a selection of narrative accounts along with a selection of Jesus’ statements regarding the gentiles.

Assumptions:

A reasoned argument always proceeds from a set of assumptions.  Without assumptions, you need to offer evidence for every stance you take.  Your argument will also rely on certain definitions of key words. 

For instance, if I am writing about one of “the attributes of God,” such as God’s omnipotence, I assume that God exists and that He has attributes.  Furthermore, I assume that I have a reliable source of information from which I can derive that God is, indeed, omnipotent.  I also must assume that the traditional categories of systematic theology are valid for helping one to understand God.  My intended audience will determine which of these assumptions I need to mention.  A seminary professor assumes the existence of God, so you do not have to be so explicit.  

For the example from the previous box, you might assume:

• The gospels are complete literary works written by their traditional authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and were all written in the first century, A.D.
• The gospels were given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through human authors.
• The words and deeds attributed to Christ in the gospels are His own.
  
  

         Definitions:

         Before you begin to prove your thesis, you may have to establish certain definitions.  For instance, if you are writing about God's omnipotence, you will likely write half the paper on a survey of various definitions derived from your information sources before stating your chosen definition.  Otherwise, you may simply assume a definition from a source and move on.

           The main body of your paper will consist of “answering the question” or arguing from your information sources that your thesis is true.  Anytime you present an idea that originated in your sources, you need to cite the source.  You can learn more about correct citation from the citation page of this guide.  The purpose of this box is to show you a model for presenting information from your sources in an organized way.  What follows is not a fully-fledged example, but a skeletal model.

         The Model:

1.  Introduce a point.

2.  Present information from your sources via:

            a. Paraphrased information

            b. Direct Quotation

            c. Summary

3. Show relationships, such as agreement or disagreement between the information as you present it.

4. Present your commentary on the information thus far, or conclude discussion on the present point.

(Repeat 2 - 4 as needed until concluding discussion)

(Note: "Scholar" here refers to the author of a source or the originator of an idea) 

Example 1:

Introduce your point: The literary nature of the gospels. (Citation required if you borrow your point from a source)

According to scholar 1, the gospels are…. (Paraphrased information from scholar 1)

Scholar 2 agrees with scholar 1, saying that the gospels "..." (Direct quotation from scholar 2)

Scholar 3 disagrees, asserting that the gospels are… (Paraphrased information from scholar 3)

Scholar 4 refutes scholar 3’s conclusions, saying "..." (Direct quotation from scholar 3 regarding scholar 3)

Commentary: Scholar 1 and 2 offer more compelling evidence for their assertions, and scholar 4 is right in proposing that scholar 3's conclusions are not convincing.

Example 2: 

Introduce your point: The account of Jesus and the Syro-phoenician woman shows...   (citation from primary source, Mark 7:24-30)

This account... (summary from scholar 1)

Furthermore, Scholar 2 says  that the woman was probably... (paraphrased information from scholar 2)

Scholar 3 proposes that  Jesus only wanted to help her after he heard her plea (Paraphrased information from scholar 3)

But scholar 4 rejects this idea, saying (Direct quotation from scholar 4)

Scholar 5 agrees, finding that Jesus... (Paraphrase from scholar 5)

Commentary: Though some scholars assert that Jesus was reluctant to help this gentile woman, it is more accurate to say that He knew what she was going to say ahead of time, and enticed her into expressing her stalwart faith in Him as "the Son of David."

            Do you see how scholarly conclusions are presented in relation to each other?  Do you see why it is so important to use information sources from varying points of view?  Reading information from various points of view on your topic causes you to engage in critical thinking and results in a more interesting paper as you show which position is most compelling.  If all of your information sources agree with one another, your paper will just be a boring digest of that information.

            You do not have to mention the "scholars" by name in the text of your paper every time you include information from your sources, but you MUST cite the source in a footnote.  For example, if you learned from your source that the Syro-Phoenician woman was a Canaanite you might simply say, "The woman was a Canaanite[1]" while citing the source in a footnote.

            Commentary can be conclusive, siding with a certain source, or it can lead into presenting further information.  You can also present the implications for agreeing with certain experts as opposed to others, developing your argument in order to prove your thesis.       

       Conclusions need not be a frustrating affair.  You'll want to start with specific details about what you have discussed and move on to stating the general implications of what you have discovered.  Above all, convince the reader that your discoveries are important.  Use the paper to answer your research question; use the conclusion to answer the question, “So what?”

•  Restate the thesis.
•  Synthesize the main points of the paper.
• Offer statements about the implications of what you have discovered.
• Try to make an impression on the reader.

         Some of the research papers you write at BMA seminary will require a special focus.  It may seem that you do not need a traditional research question.  For instance, you may be doing a special introduction to a book of the Bible in which you are presenting research on such facts as the author, audience, date, purpose, and overall message of the book. 

In this case, the research question is basically, “What are the facts of the book?”  Your thesis should be a statement about the nature of the book that encompasses these facts as well as possible.  Or, perhaps you are writing a biographical paper on an important figure.  In this case, your research question might simply be, “Who was Charles Spurgeon?”  If, however, the biographical research is to be focused on a particular aspect of a person, such as his preaching, or her missionary work, you will need to ask a research question concerning these aspects.

If your professor gives you one of these special formats, you will ultimately have an easier time determining what to write about.  However, you should still present information sources from different points of view concerning, for instance, the facts of the book of the Bible that you are working on.  In a discussion about the author or date of a book of the Bible there is often an immense amount of controversy!