RESEARCH PAPER: FINAL ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
Students will write a research paper on a selected topic (choose from the topic list provided at the bottom of this document).
INSTRUCTIONS
The paper must be 4000-5000 words long, and use the Bible appropriately, along with at least 10 additional high quality sources. Church websites are not appropriate for this assignment and Journal Articles must be used only sparingly (no more than two). Websites of official organizations related to the topic, or government agencies and educational institutions, (such as abortion opponent groups, and advocates) may be used for factual information and statistics. Sensational type advocacy sites, sites that polemicize on the matter, must be avoided). Course texts should not be used in this assignment. The paper must follow Turabian and School of Divinity guidelines as to formatting, style, grammar, and graduate quality of work.
The paper will be produced in three stages, first, the topic, thesis, and preliminary bibliography; next will come then the outline, abstract, and full bibliography; the final paper (with at least 10 sources used). Due the third, sixth, and seventh modules of the course.
PAPER TOPICS
Abortion
• The Bible and Abortion
• History of Christian Teaching on Abortion
• Court Decisions and Abortion (Griswold v CT, Roe v Wade, etc)
• Planned Parenthood’s role in Abortion
Gambling
• State Lotteries: Should Christians Participate?
• Bingo for fundraising—what should Christians do?
• Gambling: Is it “just entertainment” like going to a concert or a ballgame?
MPAA Ratings
• History of Movie Censorship/Ratings
• MPAA Ratings today: a Biblical Evaluation
• FCC and broadcast decency—the recent record
Adultery
• The Bible and Adultery
• Sexual Morality in America—History
• The causes and results of the sexual revolution of the 1960s
• The Kinsey Report and sexual morality
Virtue Ethics
• Aristotle and Virtue
• Stanley Hauerwas’s concept of Christian Living
• Virtue Ethics in the Gospel of Luke
The Kingdom of God and Ethics
• The Kingdom of God in Matthew’s Gospel
• The Kingdom of God in Luke’s Gospel
Ron Sider and economic justice: a biblical and critical evaluation
Situation Ethics—a biblical evaluation
Legalism—Its appeal and its problems.
Pornography
• The problem within the churches
• Psychological effects of Porn
• Pornography—history and evaluation of the “community standards” definition
• History of efforts to limit porn in America
Divine Command Ethics—biblical and critical evaluation
Capital Punishment
• History of capital punishment in America
• Capital Punishment—evaluation of reasons to eliminate it
Environment
• Global Warming—ethical issue or political football?
• Creation and the Christian’s responsibility to the environment
Animal Rights
• Animal Rights: the basis, nature, and extent of animal rights.
• PETA—do they carry animal rights too far?
Wealth and giving
• Material vs Spiritual Values: Is there a biblical balance?
• The Bible and Greed
• Is Capitalism immoral? What is the biblical understanding of economic justice?
Gluttony
• What is the biblical understanding of feasting, fasting, and the proper role of food in the Christian life?
Stealing
• The biblical basis for property rights.
Old Testament Law—how to we apply Old Testament Law to modern situations?
Justice
• Natural Law: Does it have a place in Christian Thinking
• John Rawls and Justice: Is a Rawlsian view of Justice consistent with the Bible?
• The Bible and Martin Luther King’s view of social justice
• Augustine and the City of God: is a just society a proper goal for the church?
• Chuck Colson and the Christian’s role in promoting Justice
• William Wilberforce as a model for Christian social involvement
Behaviorism and Ethics
War
• History of Just War Theory
• Just War Theory and (The Iraq War; World War II; The Korean Conflict; Kosovo; etc)
• Pacifism—History
• Pacifism—a biblical critique
• Modern Christian Pacifism—a critical analysis
Internet
• Ethics in Cyberspace
• Internet Porn and Christians
• Creating Alternate Online Identities
Ministerial Ethics
• Ethical Obligations in Ministerial Counseling
• Sexual abuse and the responsibilities of a minister
• Confidentiality Rules—where and how they apply
• Should ministers be required to perform gay marriages where they are legal?
Marriage and Family
• Christian Marriage—ethics in Marriage
• Divorce and remarriage
• In-Vitro Fertilization: An Option for Christians?
• Gay Marriage: Should Christians oppose it?
• Tom and Steve live next door”—Reflecting the love of Christ while standing up for th truth when your neighbors are gay.
Cloning
• Is cloning “Playing God”?
Drug Abuse
• What is the role of the church when drug abuse happens among membership?
• Challenges for Youth Ministers in dealing with drug abuse.
• Medical Marijuana—Is it an open door for abuse and addiction?
Civil Disobedience
• Is Civil Disobedience ever justified?
• The Civil Rights movement and Civil Disobedience
Social Order/Social justice
• Christians and the public square: Hermits or activists?
• Welfare: who is responsible, government or church?
• ObamaCare: Is there a “right” to healthcare? Limits and responsibilities for secular governments in healthcare services.
• Liberation Theology
o Latin American
o Feminist
o African American
o Womanist
• History of the Christian Life Commission/Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
The ethical beliefs of
• Stanley Hauerwas
• John Howard Yoder
• Joseph Fletcher
• B. F. Skinner
• Ayn Rand
• Alisdair MacIntyre
• Bernard of Clairvaux
• G. E. Moore
• Plato/Socrates
• St. Benedict
• Marcus Aurelius
• Martin Luther King
• Ian Ramsey
• Leonardo Boff
• John MacQuarrie
Preaching on Ethical Issues
• Principles for effective preaching on ethics.
• Pitfalls and dangers of treating ethical issues in the pulpit.