Academic Writings

"A book is judged, not by its reference to life, but by its reference to other books." -Stephen Fry, Worse By Design

I have included here for your amusement (and reference, if you happen to be writing a related paper) some of the papers I have written in the academic setting. Most of them were for school, although some were more of a "labour of love." I've sorted them into some broad categories to make it easier for you.

College - General
Assorted papers written in my college years.

Farmer Giles: Hero by Deed Only - a delightful project for my C.S. Lewis and the Inklings class. I had to do a presentation for this one too, so I had the class enact the story, with volunteers playing the parts of Giles, the King, the giant, and the dragon. The rest of the class were the people of Ham. It was really a lot of fun.

Radical Environmentalists: Who Are These People and What Are They Doing Here? - The title says it all, really.

History is Plural - An analysis of the presentation of history in Simon Shama's Dead Certainties.

Don't Say That!: Verbal Taboos in Society - What an interesting topic. Why are some words bad? Is it the words themselves or the concepts they represent?

Pain and Joy in the Shadowlands - Comments and reflections on the movie Shadowlands, the movie depicting the story of C.S. Lewis and his tragic relationship with Joy Gresham.

Edward Abbey: Musings to Meanings - I really have too much fun writing papers. This was one of those papers where I felt smart after I wrote it, but when I read it now, it's not nearly as impressive as I thought it was back then.

Is Toby Still Jack? - Tobias Wolff's book This Boy's Life gives us some cognitive dissonance, because it's presented as autobiography, but the boy in that story doesn't seem like he'll become a professional writer. This paper addresses that dissonance.

Augustus and Suetonius: Historians? - For my Western Civ class at WU, We had to write weekly papers on our readings, and I usually wrote them the morning they were due. I began to notice a disturbing trend: the less time I spent on the paper, the better my grade. First paper: 60 minutes, check minus. Second paper: 40 minutes, check. Third paper: thrown together in 20 minutes, check plus. I'm not sure which paper this was, but it's one of them.

College - Theology
Graduating as I did from a Bible college, many of my papers were theological. I use that word loosely, as the topics range from exegisis to ecclesiology to pneumatology.

William Seymour and the Original Pentecostal Movement - a discussion of the history of the Pentecostal movement, looking specifically at William Seymour and the revival movement he led in Los Angeles, and the unfortunate Pentecostal departure from its origins.

Comments on Jeremiah's "Confessions" - Eight passages in Jeremiah are very personal addresses to Yahweh, sometimes coming close to calling Yahweh out. These passages are known as Jeremiah's "Confessions." This prophet is one of the only people in Scripture to address God so directly and fearlessly.

More is Less: An Analysis of Syncretism and "Other Gods" in Jeremiah - Another paper on Jeremiah (can you tell I took a class on Jeremiah?). A discussion of the meaning, morality, and effectiveness of syncretism, drawing from the history of the Israelites and the messages found in Jeremiah.

The Philippians Christology - One of Paul's most well known christologies is found in a short seven-verse passage in his letter to the Philippians. Comments on and analysis of that passage.

Worship With Woe: The Place of Praise and Lament in the Psalter - Many of the Psalms are unexpectedly honest, addressing some of the less pleasant aspects of life, and even daring to address Yahweh in a somewhat challenging manner. The Psalms are full of praise, and the Church has drawn heavily from these Psalms. But many of the Psalms are likewise laments, and the Church has largely ignored this method of addressing God. A discussion of praise and lament in the Psalms, and its ideal corresponding role in the Church.

The Spirit-Filled Life - A simple exposition of what exactly is meant by "the Spirit-filled life."

On Initial Physical Evidence(s) - A position paper on the 8th Fundamental Truth of the Assemblies of God (a Pentecostal denomination -- other Pentecostal denominations also place this doctrine in a place of importance).The Compendium

© 1998-2024 Zach Bardon
Last modified 7.19.2019
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