Is the issue of biological and cosmological origins an integral component of one’s worldview? Why? Walsh and Middleton in their book The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian Worldview (InterVarsity Press, 1984) describe a worldview in this way:
“A way of seeing or interpreting the world, ‘a vision for a way of life,’ and a way to answer life's major questions including:
The paper will be worth 25% of your final grade. This is how your paper project will be assessed:
Five Appropriately Formatted References: 20 points
Thesis Statement: 20 points
Annotated Bibliography: 50 points
Rough draft: 10 points
Peer Review: 10 points each for a total of 20 points (2 reviews)
Final Draft: 130 points (see the rubric for final draft below)
Total Points Possible: 250 Points
Construct a 5–7-page research paper that addresses the following:
Describe how the issue of origins relates to a Christian worldview, including an explanation of the relative importance or the lack of relevance of the issue of origins to a Christian worldview.
From what you have learned about evolutionary mechanisms such as genetic drift, natural selection, and population changes that we observe in nature, make an argument either for a naturalistic explanation or an interventionist explanation to account for the diversity and complexity of life as we know it.
Describe the impact of your beliefs regarding origins on your view of humanity, stewardship, and bioethics.
This is a research paper. Your thinking on the issues above should be developed through reading, and your references should be used and cited appropriately. While issues such as those addressed in this paper undeniably evoke strong emotions, your focus should be on developing a well-supported argument rather than an emotional plea. Your objective in writing this paper is not to prove that creation happened. Rather, you are to focus on why origins matter to the Christian worldview.
In addition to the required number of references (five), you may find Strobel’s “5 Inescapable Conclusions of Darwinism” (Chapter 1, Module 1 Strobel assignment) and the quotes from Chapter 4 of Strobel’s book (Module 4 Strobel assignment) to be helpful in formulating your thesis and providing support for your argument. You may also refer to the quotes above. Note: Strobel’s Case for the Creator and the Bible may be used and referenced within your paper; however, they do not count towards the five references required.
Here is a roadmap for how your research paper will proceed:
Module 1: Find three sources to use in your research paper and post them in the designated forum.
Module 6: Write a thesis statement for your final paper.
Module 9: Write an Annotated Bibliography using five sources (the three sources you have posted to the discussion forum in Module 1 along with two additional sources).
Module 11: Write a draft of your final paper, and submit the draft for peer review.
Module 12: Review two peers’ drafts and submit your comments to them for their use in making revisions.
Module 13: Submit the final draft of your research paper, making revisions as necessary.
Your paper should be done in APA format, including a title page, and a references page. These do not count toward the body of the work, which should be 5–7 pages, double-spaced, and in 12-point font.
You may use this guide for APA format.
