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Course 26 · Lesson 5.1

Choosing three propositions and defining the terms

8 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 26 outline

Module 1: Comprehensive Biblical Knowledge Examination

  1. Preparing: a review plan for the whole Bible
  2. The examination: books, story, genres and key passages
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 2: Historical Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: a timeline, key figures and key councils
  2. The examination: periods, controversies and primary texts
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 3: Systematic Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: an outline of the doctrines
  2. The examination: God, Christ, humanity, salvation, church and last things
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers, especially on fairness across traditions

Module 4: Philosophical Argument Evaluation and Historical Apologetics Assessment

  1. Evaluating a philosophical argument: premises, validity and objections
  2. Exercises: cosmological, moral, evil and hiddenness arguments
  3. Assessing historical evidence: sources, dating, witnesses and bias
  4. Exercises: the resurrection, the reliability of the New Testament and the canon

Module 5: Written Defense of Three Christian Propositions

  1. Choosing three propositions and defining the terms
  2. Building the case: arguments, evidence and sources
  3. Stating and answering the strongest objections
  4. Evaluating your defenses against the criteria

Module 6: Statement of Faith and Rule of Life

  1. Writing a personal statement of faith
  2. Relating the statement to the creeds and the traditions
  3. Writing a personal Christian rule of life
  4. Making the rule concrete and reviewable

Module 7: Reflection on Theological Development

  1. Mapping your development: beliefs held at the start and now
  2. Changes of mind: what changed and what caused the change
  3. Writing the reflection

Module 8: Strengths, Uncertainties and Continued Study

  1. Scoring the results of the components
  2. Naming your uncertainties without shame or evasion
  3. A plan for continued study, with dates for review

All courses

Program / Course 26: Comprehensive Assessment / Lesson 5.1

What you will learn

  • Choose three Christian propositions that can be defended in a short written paper.
  • State each proposition as a clear sentence that could be true or false.
  • Define the key terms of each proposition before arguing for it.
  • Set a length, a date and criteria for each defense.

The big idea

The written defense is a paper of your own, in which three Christian propositions are each stated, defined, argued for and tested against the strongest objections. The first task is choice. A good proposition is a clear claim, narrow enough to defend in a few pages, and one that you actually hold or are testing. Its terms must be defined before any argument begins. No thesis or oral defense is required, nothing is submitted, and the student alone judges the result.

Key terms

Proposition
A statement that is either true or false, such as: Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead.
Thesis statement
The single sentence that a paper sets out to support.
Definition
A statement of what a term means in the paper, so that the reader knows what is being claimed.
Scope
The limits of a claim: what it says and what it does not say.
Burden of proof
The responsibility to give reasons for a claim. Deciding who carries it in a given case is itself a question.
Criteria
Standards by which a piece of work is judged. Here the student sets and applies them.

Background

The course plan asks for a written defense of three Christian propositions, with arguments, evidence, sources and the strongest objections stated and answered. It is explicitly not a thesis or dissertation. There is no required length beyond what the student sets, no submission and no defense before examiners. The aim is for the student to learn whether they can reason in writing for what they believe, and where they cannot yet.

The choice of propositions matters. Choose three that cover different ground, for instance one about God, one about Christ and one about the Bible or the church. A proposition such as Christianity is true is too wide to defend in a few pages. A proposition such as God exists is wide but can be narrowed by naming the argument or kind of evidence you will use. A proposition such as Jesus was bodily raised from the dead is clear and has a rich body of evidence and objections.

Defining terms prevents argument at cross purposes. If a proposition says that the Bible is authoritative, the paper must say whether authoritative means inerrant, normative for faith, or something else, since churches differ. A good definition is fair to those who would use the word differently, and notes the difference.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: List candidates

Write ten possible propositions. Include claims you are sure of and some you are less sure of. Cross out any that are too broad, too vague or not claims. Examples of workable propositions: God exists; Jesus rose bodily from the dead; the New Testament is a reliable source for the life of Jesus; the Trinity is the best account of the biblical witness; suffering does not disprove a good God.

Step 2: Choose three that differ

Choose three that cover different areas, so that the exercise tests different skills: philosophical argument, historical evidence and interpretation of Scripture. Avoid choosing all three on topics you already know well.

Step 3: Write each as a clear sentence

Write each proposition so that someone could disagree. Remove vague words. Add the scope: what you claim and what you do not. For example: I claim that the evidence supports the bodily resurrection of Jesus. I do not claim that it compels belief for everyone.

Step 4: Define the terms

List the key terms in each proposition and define them in one or two sentences. Where traditions define a term differently, say so. Check each definition against a source, such as a creed or a standard reference.

Step 5: Set the plan

For each paper, set a length (for example 800 to 1,200 words), a date and the criteria. A suggested set of criteria: clarity, accuracy, evidence, strongest objections, fair replies, honest limits. A suggested personal standard is 80 percent. All of these are your own choices.

  1. Could a thoughtful person disagree with this proposition?
  2. Is it narrow enough to defend in a few pages?
  3. Do my three propositions cover different kinds of question?
  4. Have I defined each key term fairly?
  5. What would I be willing to accept as evidence against each?
  6. What is the scope of each claim, and what do I not claim?

Examples

A too broad proposition

Christianity is true. This covers too much. A defense would need to separate the truth of its historical claims, its metaphysics and its ethics. (A constructed example.)

A workable proposition

The doctrine of the Trinity is the most faithful summary of what the New Testament says about God, Jesus and the Spirit. This can be defended from texts, from the history of the doctrine and by comparing alternatives. (A constructed example.)

A scoped proposition

The suffering in the world does not show that a good and powerful God cannot exist. This defends a modest claim and does not need to explain every evil. (A constructed example.)

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic apologetics has a long tradition, from Aquinas to modern writers, of arguing from reason and history to the credibility of faith, while holding that faith itself is a gift of grace.

Orthodox

Orthodox writers more often present the faith than argue for it, and stress that truth is known in the life of the church. An Orthodox student may choose propositions that explain a teaching and its basis instead of arguing against objectors.

Protestant

Protestant apologetics includes evidential, classical and presuppositional approaches. They differ on how far arguments can lead to faith, and a student should name which approach a paper takes.

Skeptical

A skeptic would ask that each proposition be stated so that it could be tested and that the writer say what would count as evidence against it. This is a useful challenge for any student.

Why it matters

A defense is only as good as its proposition. Time spent choosing, stating and defining makes the later work much clearer, and shows in advance what kind of evidence will be relevant.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: A defense must prove its conclusion beyond doubt.

Correction: It need only give good reasons and be honest about their limits. Few interesting claims are proved beyond all doubt.

Misunderstanding: A defense can only be written for beliefs one has no doubt about.

Correction: A student may test a belief they are unsure of. Honest defense is one way of finding out how well it stands.

Misunderstanding: This is a formal thesis with an examiner.

Correction: It is not. No thesis, dissertation or defense before examiners is required, and nothing is submitted.

Knowledge check

What makes a good proposition for a short defense?

It is a clear claim that could be true or false, narrow enough to treat in a few pages, and not so obvious that no one would dispute it. It has identifiable evidence and objections, and it is a claim the student actually holds or wishes to test. Its scope is stated so it does not claim too much.

Why define terms first?

Because arguments often go wrong when people use a word in different senses. Defining the terms fixes what is claimed, shows where traditions differ in usage, and lets the reader see whether an objection hits the claim or only a different meaning of the word.

Is a thesis defense required?

No. The course asks for a written defense of three propositions, kept in the student’s own notebook or documents. There is no thesis, dissertation or oral defense, nothing is submitted and the site does not grade it. There is no certificate or degree.

Why choose propositions from different areas?

Different areas call for different skills, such as philosophical reasoning, historical assessment and interpretation of texts. A set of three that covers more than one area gives a fuller picture of the student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Think it through

  1. Which proposition would you most like to be able to defend, and why?
  2. Which would be hardest to defend honestly?
  3. What would you accept as evidence against your claim?
  4. Who is the reader you imagine for each paper?

Independent assignment

A defense plan

In your own notebook, write about 300 words. List ten candidate propositions, choose three, rewrite each as a clear sentence with its scope, define the key terms, and set a length, a date and criteria for each paper. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.

Further study