You must submit your completed exam on Canvas. Your exam will be run through the plagiarism software. Please submit as an attached document. Please use only one document to answer all of the following parts of the exam. Provide sections and question numbers on the document so that your responses correspond to the sections and question numbers on the exam.
You will need to cite the theologians that you are engaging with in order to provide evidence for your claims throughout this exam. Citations should be parenthetical and in text. Cite any ideas that are not your own and any quotations that you pull directly from the text. Use the last name of the author and the page number followed by a period after the parentheses. For example: (Trible, 65) or (Class Notes, 9.20.17). Y ou may only use class notes as a citation for things thatwehavediscussedinclassthatdidnotappearinyourcoursereadings. Youmaynotcite class notes to summarize what a theologian we have read says. You must cite their text directly for full credit. Citations belong at the end of the sentence. I f you do not include citations and page numbers, you will not receive full credit for your response.
Helpfultips: Thismidtermexaminationisyouropportunitytodemonstratewhatyouhave learned in the first half of this class. Please be sure to be as specific and detailed as possible in your answers in each section below. Define anything that needs to be defined and back up your analysis with evidence from the texts. Be sure to explain any quotes that you use. Take the time to show your work in order to demonstrate your mastery of the material. Make sure to answer all questions in each prompt and focus on the quality and content of your response. Incomplete answers without supporting arguments will not receive full credit. Remember to proofread your work and check your spelling and grammar.
Midterm Exam
Part I: Quote identification: Choose any t wo of the following three quotes. Briefly state (in 1-2 paragraphs) the meaning of the quote a nd the quotes significance and relationship to the theologians overall project. Use appropriate citations when necessary. (5 points each for 10 points toal)
- However, it appears that only a minority of U.S. teenagers are naturally absorbing by osmosis the traditional substantive content and character of the religious traditions to which they claim to belong. For, it appears to us, another popular religious faith — Moralistic Therapeutic Deism — is colonizing many historical religious traditions and, almost without anyone noticing, converting believers in the old faiths to its alternative religious vision of divenly underwritten personal happiness and interpersonal niceness. (Christian Smith, 56).
- Rahners contribution is to arrive at this insight through the dynamism of human experience, making Gods incomprehensible holy mystery the very condition that makes possible the functioning of our human spirit. (Elizabeth Johnson, 37).
- Before this episode the Yahwist has used only the generic word adham. No exclusively male reference has appeared. Only with the specific creation of woman ( ishshah) occurs the first specific terms for man as male (ish). In other words, sexuality is simultaneous for woman and man. The sexes are interrelated and interdependent. (Phyllis Trible, 76).
PartII:ShortAnswer: chooseanytwoofthefollowingnumberedpromptsandprovideashort answer (in about 2-3 paragraphs). Read the prompt directions carefully and answer all parts of each prompt. Use appropriate citations when necessary. (20 points each for 40 points total)
- In her chapter on The Crucified God of Compassion, Elizabeth Johnson examines arguments about whether or not God suffers. What is at stake in these arguments? (In other words, why are there heated disagreements over whether or not God suffers?) Why does Johnson think that any theological attempt to explain the suffering of the world by relying on arguments about God having a plan for the world or by appealing to human freedom is problematic?
- In what way does John Noonan think that doctrine develops? What are the examples he offers of how Christian doctrine has developed? How does the development of doctrine help us to better understand what it means to say that the Catholic tradition is a living tradition?
- Sanda Schneiders examines three models of service in light of the foot washing event in the Gospel of John. What are these three models of service and how do they differ? Which model of service does Schneiders think Jesus is enacting in this story and why does Peter object? Why does Schneiders think this interpretation of the foot washing event is significant for Christians today?
PartIII:Essay: Your answers should draw upon course materials. Your essay should be 850-1000 words, which is about double spaced 3-4 pages in 12 point Times New Roman font. Read the prompt directions carefully and answer all parts of each prompt. Use appropriate citations when necessary. (50 points)
2. What are some of the methods described by Marcus Borg and Richard Clifford that readers can rely on as they interpret scripture? For Catholics, are the stories in scripture true? How does the historical critical method differ from hermeneutics? How has scripture been interpreted from the position of people who have been historically marginalized and what sorts of truths have they found contained in scripture? Place Marcus Borg and Richard Clifford into conversation with either Kelly Brown Douglas o r Lisa Cahill in order to answer the last question.
