Your paper will be 1) focused on a ETHICAL ISSUE OF YOUR CHOICE, 2) found in (or addressed by) TWO books of the New Testament -- a primary NT writing (to be discussed in this proposal, because it is, in your view, particularly important, helpful, and significant for Christian believers who read it as Scripture as a word-to-live-by in a particular situation today) and a secondary NT writing (that you will identify by early November).

Your formal paper proposal (in a 3-5 double-spaced pages) will be a TENTATIVE outline of your paper: it will take the shape of an extended report using the Ethical Contextual Bible Interpretation Form (that you used in weekly exercises), but now as an argument justifying your choice of a topic. Indeed this time YOU choose the specific passages (ultimately two passages; but now one) and YOU choose the ethical issue (topic). So you need an argument outlining what you anticipate will be the introduction, the body, and the conclusion of your paper.

YOUR INTRODUCTION (20%) should explain why you chose:

1) the particular Ethical Issue:

2) Why you chose the primary biblical text; in which way it speaks about the ethical issue you chose; and

3) Why you believe this moral issue is important and helpful for the particular Christian believers whom you envision in a given concrete context today.

THE ETHICAL CONTEXTUAL BIBLE INTERPRETATION.

Following the questions of the "Ethical Contextual Bible Interpretation Form" tentatively (your paper will be more specific) articulate (in a few paragraphs) what you anticipate will be:

1) Part A & Part B (40%): according to your own interpretation, the *teaching* of the biblical text on the chosen *ethical issue* for Christian believers as you *envision* them in a particular, concrete, and realistic *life-context* today (of your choice), your view/interpretation of the ethical issue (definition), and your analysis of the *needs* it addresses, the *root-problem* you presuppose, and the *role of Scripture* involved.

2) Part C 1 (10%): What are the main differences between YOUR interpretation and the interpretation of the biblical text and of the ethical issue (from the perspective of which ethical perspective is it envisioned) by a scholar of your choice (you are free to use a scholar you studied in the first part of the semester for one of your earlier reports).

Part C 2 (10%): Similarly, what are the main differences between YOUR interpretation and the interpretation of the biblical text and of the ethical issue by a different scholar of your choice

Part C 3 (10%): Similarly, what are the main differences between the interpretations of the biblical text and of the ethical issue by

the two scholars

In each case, emphasize the differences; a) between the two understandings of the ETHICAL ISSUE (See Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity and other readings for different plausible understandings of the ETHICAL ISSUE); b) between the two choices of features/verses of the biblical text that are viewed as most important in each case; and c) between the two kinds of contextual problems and root-problems that the two formulations of the teaching of the biblical text about this ethical issue make explicit or presuppose:

CONCLUSION (10%): Part D. Your preliminary personal assessment of these three teachings (and the three interpretations); which one is "best," that is, has the best likelihood to succeed in addressing the Ethical Problem is the particular context you envision.

The instructors will assess to which extent your proposal is a solid outline for your research paper, and will suggest additional short readings to develop further each of your points (especially in Part C - your paper will need to be based on more than two scholarly resources! - and consequently in Part D).