What role should evidence play in the formation of Christian belief?

Position Paper
Ø
Students
will write a paper defending their position on one of the following question:
1. What role should evidence play in the
formation of Christian belief?
These papers should be between 1500-1700 words.
This paper should be Christian based(Baptist Faith)
Ø
These
papers should include a clear thesis statement, in which student stakes out a
clear position on the above question. Students should then aim to
defend that position by offering clear evidence for it and/or critically
assessing argument against it.

GGRADING
RUBRIC FOR PAPERS

Minimum Requirements – 10% (paper must meet all requirements
for these 10 points.
§ Paper is an argumentative essay (not a mere summary of the author’s work).
§ Paper aims to advance (/defend) a clear thesis consonant
with the specification for the assignment.
§ Paper is within the word limit.
§ Paper is written to appropriate specifications.
o
In
keeping with the College of Chistian Studies preferred format, all students
should format their papers (including references) according to Chicago/Turabian
style.

Writing and Structure – 20%
§ Grammar and style are polished; and essay is very well
structured (beginning with thesis statement, indicating a plan for the essay,
ending with a conclusion) (18 – 20)
§ Grammar and style are good, essay follows a reasonably
intelligible structure (16-17)
§ Grammar and style, and structure, are all acceptable; but
problems in this area make the reading difficult to understand (14 – 15)
§ Grammar, style, and structure all obstruct reading (0 – 13)

Understanding – 30%
§ Excellent paraphrase, or summary, of the relevant arguments/positions,
with clear indication of what makes those positions attractive. Succinct and
very clear. Student’s engagement with the relevant arguments/positions reflects
an excellent understanding of the relevant material (27 – 20)
§ Good summary of the relevant arguments/positions, citing
clearly what makes them seem attractive. Student’s engagement with these
reflects a good understanding of the relevant material (24 – 26)
§ Acceptable summary of the relevant arguments/positions.
Students engagement with these reflects a good understanding of the relevant
material (21 – 23)
§ Summary of the relevant arguments/positions does not reflect
an adequate understanding of the material. (0 – 20)

Originality and Argumentative Rigor – 40%
§ Excellent support/defense of the author’s thesis. Excellent
use of scholarly sources. (36 – 40)
§ Good support/defense of the author’s thesis. Very good use
of scholarly sources. (32 – 35)
§ Acceptable support/defense of the author’s thesis. Adequate
use of scholarly sources. (28 – 31)
§ Support/defense of the author’s thesis is less than
satisfactory. Inadequate use of scholarly sources. (0 – 27)

Last Completed Projects