Retrieving the Christian tradition for Christian life and mi…

The Christian life and ministry essay seeks to address why retrieving the Christian tradition is critical for living a formed Christian life and engaging in ministry. For this essay, students will read either D. H. Williamss Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church or Christopher Hannas Retrieval for the Sake of Renewal: Timothy George as a Historical Theologian and interact with it, along with a few other sources, to produce an argument for Christians retrieving the Christian tradition. Students must fully read the text and thoroughly interact with it throughout the essay. The essay will also interact with one figure from the Christian tradition that demonstrates the value of engaging with prior Christians. The following information will guide your essay. Formatting Font: Times New Roman Size: 12 pt Spacing: Double-spaced Citation Style: Turabian, 9th Edition Word Count: 7501000 words Voice: Avoid first and second person pronouns (e.g., I, we, you) Sources Core Text: Choose either D. H. Williamss Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church or Christopher Hannas Retrieval for the Sake of Renewal: Timothy George as a Historical Theologian as the central source for your essay. These texts may be accessed through the library either in print or eBook formats. Two graded reading checks will be given throughout the term to ensure students remain on pace to complete the chosen text. In addition to your core text, interact with at least one primary source by a figure from the Christian tradition. This figure should be chosen thoughtfully, as they will be used to support your argument. Note: Primary sources are original texts written by the historical figure. Secondary sources are scholarly interpretations or discussions of those texts. Thesis Statement Your essay must include a clear, one-sentence thesis that articulates your core argument for why retrieving the Christian tradition is valuable for both the Christian life and ministry. This statement should be presented in the introduction and defended throughout the essay. Essay Outline 1. Introduction – Introduce the significance of studying Christian history. – Clearly present your thesis statement. 2. Body Paragraphs – Defend your thesis with support from your selected core text. – Engage meaningfully with at least one primary text from a historical Christian figure. – While there is no required number of supporting reasons, it is recommended to include at least three. – Your essay must include the following two major emphases: 1) Why retrieving the Christian tradition is critical for a formed Christian life 2) Why retrieving the Christian tradition is critical for practicing ministry – Both sections must offer specific applications that support your thesis. 3. Conclusion – Restate your thesis. – Offer a concluding remark on how the church might benefit or change by valuing the Christian tradition.