NT2213 The Pauline Tradition: 1 & 2 Corinthians
 Mary E. Hinkle
Associate Professor of New Testament
Luther Seminary
Fall 2004

Week 12 | Nov 29-Dec 5

To Do List for Week 12

  1. Post your judgment to the ethics debate if you were not on one of the teams.
  2. Participate in this week's debate. Find details on this page and the debate page.
    • If you are on a debate team, help your team throughout the week.
    • If you are not on a team, read and judge the debate by next Monday, Dec. 6.
  3. Read on the topic (full bibliography below):
  4. Complete "Paul Reads His Bible," exegetical workshop #5, by Friday Dec. 5. (I am intent on getting all of these graded for you in the next week.)
  5. Let me know your plans for a final project. Sending an email or for those nearby, dropping by my office would be great.

Paul's Letters and Women in the Church

The apostle Paul is famous for writing things that restricted women's participation in the activities of his churches. Of course, he also commended the ministry of women, yet it is the prohibitions that have done more to shape the history of Christians' view of ministry and those who are called to it.

This week, two teams will debate the proposition:

"The Pauline letters support the full participation of women in ministry."

On Sunday, Nov. 29, I will post an announcement letting you know which team will argue which side of the debate. You may prepare for debating or judging the debate by reading these resources.

Final Projects

Our class does not have a final exam, but I do want to see how the exegetical work, blogging, reading and debate/discussions are all becoming integrated for you, so you have a final project due at the end of the term. From the syllabus:

"Your final project is to prepare a sermon, Bible study, devotional booklet, or other resource that will proclaim a Pauline text in a parish or specialized ministry setting. Your resource, along with accompanying exegetical notes, is due on Dec. 15. Whatever you choose to do, I expect that you will spend about the same time on it that you would spend researching and writing a 12-15 page paper. I would like to consult with you before you make a final decision on a project."

Sermon

You may choose to write a sermon or youth talk, or another kind of public speaking opportunity, that is based on a passage from the Corinthian letters. If you choose this option, deliver to me (either by e-mail or snail mail) a manuscript of the sermon or talk, or an audio or video tape of your delivery of the sermon/talk.  Helps for Sermon Writers includes additional information on this activity.

Curriculum

Instead of a sermon or talk, you may want to write a Bible study on your passage.  This is a fine idea for a final project, especially if your focus is Christian education.  Here is a link to Helps for Curriculum Writers.  Please follow the suggestions in this handout, and turn in a detailed enough lesson plan that someone could give the lesson in your absence.

Essay

If you choose this option, you have at least two choices for organization:

  1. You may have a thesis statement for which you offer exegetical support. Early in your paper, you would state your thesis and then in the rest of your paper, offer specific support for your idea.
  2. You may organize your paper around a question about a text or theme in Paul. In this case, you begin with the question and then explore different ways of answering it, eventually concluding that one answer is better than all the others