Biblical Interpretation and Personal Reflection

The purpose of this assignment is to help you develop the skills needed to read and interpret texts for insight and meaning. We will be using the UMO Covenant as our interpretive lens. How does the Bible provide guidance for living well?

For each paper, students will choose two (2) assigned stories (Delilah; Bathsheba; Tamar; Ruth) and engage their stories through careful interpretation and personal reflection. Some biblical narratives include more than one woman; when this occurs, students should address the story as a whole, rather than treating each woman as a separate selection.

Each paper must address the following for each selected story:

Identify and explain at least one University of Mount Olive Covenant virtue exemplified in the narrative.
Identify and explain at least one UMO Covenant virtue that is challenged or neglected in the narrative.
Describe elements of the story that were surprising or unexpected, and explain why.
Articulate one insight from the story that contributes to personal growth or character development, explaining its significance.
Support analysis with at least one biblical quotation and one quotation from assigned supplemental readings for each story.
Papers must be submitted through the course Moodle shell.

Format Requirements: Three (3) full pages (not over), double-spaced, 12-point Arial font, one-inch margins. Use parenthetical citations (in-text citations) from Bible, Bible Notes (below the Bible text), Frymer-Kensky, and UMO Covenant. Include Title page and bibliography.

Due Sunday of the end of Module #5 by 11:59PM.