Types of Theological Writing

1
Types of Theological Writing

• Seminar in Theological Research
• (Courtesy of Mrs. Sally Shelton )

2
Meditation/Devotional

• a usually short discourse intended to express
  its author's reflections or to guide others in
  contemplation (M-W)

3
BookReview/Critique

• a critical evaluation (as of a book or play)
  (M-W)
• an evaluative account of a newly published
  literary or scholarly work, usually written and
  signed by a qualified person, for publication in
  a current newspaper, magazine, or journal. The
  account can be descriptive, reportorial,
  comparative, or critical or serve as a vehicle
  for a lengthy essay in which the reviewer
  discusses several recently published works
  (omnibus review) or a broader topic for which the
  works reviewed serve as a springboard (ODLIS).

4
Puff

• immoderate praise of a book or other creative
  work, usually in the form of a review or
  advertisement written by the publisher, author,
  or a copy writer, intended to influence opinion
  and promote sales. In book publishing, a puff is
  usually printed on the dust jacket or included in
  an advertisement in a review publication. A
  preliminary puff is written prior to publication
  for the use of sales representatives (ODLIS)

5
Exegesis

• refers to the process of interpreting a text. It
  is to be distinguished from translation on the
  one hand and from inquiry into the principles of
  interpretation, or hermeneutics, on the other
  (Irving Hexham's Concise Dictionary of Religion)
  scholarly explanation or interpretation of a
  word, phrase, sentence, or passage in a written
  work, based on close study and critical analysis
  of the text, especially to clarify an obscure
  point in the Bible or some other sacred work
  (ODLIS).

6
Eisegesis

• the interpretation of a text (as of the Bible)
  by reading into it one's own ideas (M-W)

7
Academic / Scholarly

• of, relating to, or associated with an academy
  or school especially of higher learning, of or
  relating to performance in academic courses,
  based on formal study especially at an
  institution of higher learning, or conforming
  to the traditions or rules of a school (as of
  literature or art) or an official academy (M-W)
• having or showing knowledge, learning, or
  devotion to academic pursuits (AskOxford.com)
• usually takes an objective, reasoned approach,
  carefully considering various viewpoints
  includes citations/ references to other scholarly
  works not written in isolation
• Dialogue, conversation

8
Theological Issue Paper

• Define/describe the topic
• Present a brief biblical presentation
• Compare/Contrast at least two primary theologians
  or theological systems
• Present and defend your view with Bible, History,
  and Theology
• Insure proper documentation of sources -
  (footnotes/bibliographic citations)
• Insure Paper is grammatically correct proper
  use of Form Style

9
Biblical Issue Paper

• Address Introductory Matters of the Text
  (authorship, audience, genre, dating)
• Address the text within context (both immediate
  and universal)
• Expound on the text (taking into account
  grammatical issues, key word studies, textual
  problems, compare/contrast similar passages or
  theological issues)
• Make appropriate applications
• Insure proper form, style, documentation of
  sources (footnotes bibliographic citations)

10
Popular

• fit for, adapted to, or reflecting the taste of
  the people (American Heritage Dictionary of the
  English Language, 4th ed.)

11
Sermon / Homily

• a religious discourse delivered in public
  usually by a clergyman as a part of a worship
  service (Merriam-Webster)
• primary purpose is to inspire or exhort, to rouse
  to action or faith
• often contains an appeal to the emotions

12
Teaching

• to give a class lecture, a Sunday school class
• to present organized information and/or lead in
  activities for the purpose of informing or
  instructing
• to assist in learning a skill or set of skills
  purpose is primarily didactic
• primarily appeals to the mind

13
Apologetics

• systematic argumentative discourse in defense
  (as of a doctrine) or a branch of theology
  devoted to the defense of the divine origin and
  authority of Christianity (M-W)
• purpose to defend a belief against attempts to
  discredit it
• reasoned arguments defending a theory or doctrine
  (Compact Oxford English Dictionary)

14
Biblical Criticism

• Eventually orthodox scholars also accepted the
  validity of many methods created by the Biblical
  critics to answer such questions as What are
  the most reliable and trustworthy texts of the
  Hebrew Bible and New Testament? What is the
  relationship between the various books? When and
  by whom were the texts written and for what
  purpose? What are the sources, if any, the
  authors used? What is the relationship of these
  sources to other oral and written materials of
  the time? (Irving Hexham's Concise Dictionary
  of Religion).

15
Biography

• Includes autobiography
• the history of a persons life

16
History

• a chronological record of significant events (as
  affecting a nation or institution) often
  including an explanation of their causes (M-W)
• an account of past events based on primary sources

17
Quantitative Research

• gathering statistical data, often through the use
  of a questionnaire