RESEARCH PROJECT (or alternative option posted separately: your choice!) PROPOSALThis one- to two-page (single-spaced) document (10% of the overall grade) must contain (a) a research question, (b) the reference of a related Bible passage, and (c) an annotated bibliography.(a) The research question should orient your paper toward helping church life with a thesis that either ...• expounds a traditional doctrine, as you might do when teaching part of ecumenical orthodoxy or a particular heritage—thus, e.g., “How should evangelical churches teach the biblical foundations of Trinitarian theology?” or “Why do Presbyterian [or: Baptist] churches practice paedobaptism [or: credobaptism]?” or “What is the meaning of ‘baptism with the Holy Spirit’?”;• evaluates a contemporary perspective, as you might also do when serving on a church board—thus, e.g., “How should we evaluate the key claims of social Trinitarianism?” or “Why should a congregation call itself a ‘missional’ church [or: not]?” or “What are the insights and/or problems of the so-called ‘new perspective on Paul’?”;• addresses an ethical decision, as you might further do when counseling a person or group—thus, e.g., “Should evangelical churches celebrate same-sex marriages?” or “How should Protestants decide whether or not to use ‘artificial’ forms of conception?” or “What is the proper framework for Christian political engagement?”(b) The Bible passage should address an aspect of your research question in a way that involves you in responsible interpretation. You should consult at least three commentaries on the chosen passage, which might be relevant by (among many other ways) ...• anchoring a doctrine, as Matt 28:19–20 might do for Trinitarian theology;• encouraging a perspective, as John 17 might do for the “missional” church;• informing ethics, as Matt 19:1–12 might do for Christian marriage.(c) The annotated bibliography should contain a minimum of five and a maximum of ten sources that appear to be most important for your research. For each source, provide a full citation in proper format, followed by comments about the contribution you expect. Here are suggestions for getting started ...• Identify a few theological areas of interest and sort them into the three possible assignment categories.• Read relevant articles (noting cross-references and bibliographies) in current editions of dictionaries such as Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, New Dictionary of Theology, Oxford Companion to Christian Thought.Christian Thought—Dr. Treier (Wheaton College/Spring 2020) SYLLABUS Page 8PROCESS• Search for pertinent multi-view books (such as IVP’s Spectrum series and Zondervan’s Counterpoints series).• Scan library shelves for related books that are adjacent to promising sources.• Solidify an assignment choice once you’ve found a few potentially helpful sources.• Identify the most interesting or frequent Bible passage discussed in initial sources.Search for commentaries that address key evangelical and non-evangelicalviewpoints—focusing on the issue(s) that bear directly on your research question.• Evaluate potential sources in terms of author/publisher reliability and usefulpublication dates. Author/publisher reliability: Does the author have a graduate degree from a recognizable school, and/or helpful ministry experience? Is the publisher a recognizable university press (e.g., Baylor, Oxford), a mainstream Christian or mainline denominational press (e.g., Baker, Eerdmans, Westminster John Knox), a reputable evangelical ministry (e.g., InterVarsity, Zondervan), or a theological journal that Buswell carries on site or online? Publication dates: Is the book enduringly classic (i.e., for theological claims don’t be chronologically snobbish but engage e.g. Augustine, Luther, Stott) or intellectually current (i.e., for historical claims recent but not instantly trendy sources are best), rather than dated or secondary (e.g., mid-twentieth century in many cases