Assignment Prompt & Instructions
Read the attached documents
– 2 years ago
**files (2)**
– ## G-245-271.docx
– ## GS-Actexpl..pdf
**## G-245-271.docx**
**Grenz, 245-271**
Read pages
**Grenz, 245-271** in
the book: Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN 978-0802847553
**Use easy English.**
**No AI such as ChatGPT or Gemini or similar.**
**Note that they AI detector to detect any AI texts, AI paraphrasing or Plagiarism.**
**## GS-Actexpl..pdf**
1
Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary
Writing Guide
The Basics: An Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary (ATCS) is a concise summary of a chapter or section of
a course textbook. It can serve several purposes in a course: (1) milestones helping you pace your pre-reading
for the class sessions; (2) solidifying your understanding of the reading as you process the material and consider
how best to summarize it; (3) assist with retrieving material you may use in class discussions, writing course
papers, and even after the course is completed; (5) provide insight for the professor into areas which may
require more clarification in class sessions.
Elements: There are 4 components for each ATCS entry: Thesis Sentence, Main Ideas, Application, and
Questions
Thesis Sentence: The first sentence is the thesis sentence—what the chapter is about. This sentence should be
general enough to cover the entire reading yet specific enough that someone who has not read the reading
would have a decent idea of the content and that if you came back to read it 2 years from now you would have
a good idea of the content. This must be a single sentence without semi-colons—although colons, dashes, and
even parentheses are allowed. Learning to express yourself succinctly is an important skill in our cultural
context.
Main Ideas: Following the topic sentence is a bullet point listing of the 4–6 most important or interesting
concepts found in the reading. If you have less than 4 points, go back and see if you can break one of the points
into multiple smaller points to use instead. If you have more than 6 consider how you can combine two or
more or decide which points to cut. Each point should have 1–3 sentences explaining the idea. Use citations
within square brackets (e.g., [13]) so that you can easily go back later and find the location of these main ideas.
Avoid large, explicit quotations from the reading—but you will often find you are lifting words directly from
the text, especially technical terms and phrases. These terms and phrases do not need to be placed within
quotation marks. Doing the Main Ideas is as much of an art as it is a science. Notice in the example below that
in the first point a general statement is made covering pages 8–10, but the next sentence goes back and provides
two additional details. The next entry, however, has two sentences that follow the page order. And the last three
all are single, complex sentences. All are fine—it is just a question of what makes more sense to you and will
help you recall the material when you go back to re-read it.
Application: For the application write 1–3 sentences regarding how an idea or a concept from the reading might
impact your individual life or that you could build a sermon around. If you choose the sermon option, please
include the primary biblical text you would use.
Questions: Finally, you will ask 2–3 questions regarding the reading, again arranged as bullet points. These can
directly relate to understanding the material, implications raised by the reading, questions regarding the
relative strength, etc. Each sentence in this section should end in a question mark—you are asking questions
here, not making comments. Provide a citation—this will help the professor have a better idea of what you are
asking about.
Example ATCS: Note I have indented the margins and changed the font to make it stand out from the rest of
the page:
Thesis: Argues for the priority of grace over alternative starting positions for theology.
Main Ideas:
2
▪ Doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation, taking the inter-trinitarian love of the Father and the Son as
the essence of God [8–10]. The author uses Augustine’s idea of the Holy Spirit as the mutual love of
the Father and the Son [9] and the social model of the trinity as proposed by Richard of St Victor [10].
▪ Grace as the extension of God’s trinitarian essence (love) to creation [13]. Grace precedes all other
relations between God and his creation including being sovereign or creator [15–17].
▪ The priority of grace demonstrated through biblical examples: the calling of Abraham [18], the exodus
preceding the giving of the law [19], and most crucially the incarnation [20–23].
▪ Distortions when alternative starting points are utilized: sovereignty [23–24], power [24], free will
[25], tolerance [26], and rationality [27].
▪ Pentecostal positions are explained in terms of grace including the nature and distribution of spiritual
gifts [28–9], prophecy [30–32], and physical healing [34].
Application: I tend to see sovereignty as the thing that makes God “God,” so Christianity is reduced to
obedience to God’s commands. But if God is essentially love, then God’s commands are based in
love (not just divine power) and my obedience is a loving response to a loving command—this has
a totally different feel to it.
Questions:
▪ Why isn’t the Father’s love for the Son part of the Father and the Son’s love for the Father part of the
Son instead of being a distinct person who is neither Father nor Son [9]?
▪ Does starting with grace [15–17] reduce God’s role to “God for me” compared to other starting points
like God’s sovereignty or glory?
▪ Does the author’s pentecostal background, with its emphasis on “gifts” [28–29] cause the author to be
more inclined to the idea of the importance of grace?
As you can see in the example, grammar is not the highest priority; instead, economy of expression in
communicating the content takes precedence. Even so, intelligibility, including spelling, is still expected for the
entries.
Assessment: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are graded generously as long as it is clear to the
professor a good faith attempt has been made and all requirements are met—typically in the 85 –90% range.
Scores below 85% usually occur from not including an element (like forgetting citations) or failing to meet the
minimum or exceeding the maximum requirements—for example having 8 main ideas or having only one
question. Points may also be deducted for a late ATCS. Typically, ATCSs will not receive credit if they are
submitted after the class session where those readings are being discussed. Talk to the professor if a situation
arises that causes a problem submitting an ATCS on time.
Tips + Tricks: Here are few things that might help—none are required.
Compressing a Long Thesis: If you are having trouble coming up with a single sentence for your thesis here are
two approaches that can help. The first is to write out a multi-sentence thesis. Then try and compress it down to
just one sentence that has the most important parts in it. The second is to do the Main Ideas first, then look at
them and ask yourself, “what do they all have in common?”—that’s your thesis!
Cut and Paste: Some students may find it easier to do their ATCS entries in a Word document and then paste
the particular entry into the assignment on Discovery. This also makes it easier to go back and do a quick
review before the class sessions and doing projects.
Make a Template: The most common loss of points in an ATCS happens when someone (1) forgets to cite their
main ideas, (2) forgets each sentence in the question section ends with a question mark, and (3) doesn’t meet
the length requirements. To help avoid this, create a blank template within your Word document. Fill it out,
then copy and paste what you’ve written into Discovery. You’ll quickly see if you didn’t meet the assignment
requirements. For example:
Assignment:
Thesis:
3
Main Ideas:
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
[]
[]
Application:
Questions:
▪ [] ?
▪ [] ?
[] ?
In this example I put square brackets to remind me to cite and a question mark at the end of each question—so
that it doesn’t become a comment instead of a question. I also put the minimum number of bullet points with
one symbol (the square) and the optional ones with another symbol (the circle) to help remind myself of the
minimum and maximum. You don’t have to use this system (or do a template at all) but I just put it up here to
stimulate your thinking.
Start Early + Take Breaks: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are a great way to help you read and process
the textbooks at a deeper level, but this deeper level takes more time. So starting earlier is better than starting
later and taking breaks becomes even more important as you work your way through these assigned readings.
**## GS-Actexpl..pdf**
1
Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary
Writing Guide
The Basics: An Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary (ATCS) is a concise summary of a chapter or section of
a course textbook. It can serve several purposes in a course: (1) milestones helping you pace your pre-reading
for the class sessions; (2) solidifying your understanding of the reading as you process the material and consider
how best to summarize it; (3) assist with retrieving material you may use in class discussions, writing course
papers, and even after the course is completed; (5) provide insight for the professor into areas which may
require more clarification in class sessions.
Elements: There are 4 components for each ATCS entry: Thesis Sentence, Main Ideas, Application, and
Questions
Thesis Sentence: The first sentence is the thesis sentence—what the chapter is about. This sentence should be
general enough to cover the entire reading yet specific enough that someone who has not read the reading
would have a decent idea of the content and that if you came back to read it 2 years from now you would have
a good idea of the content. This must be a single sentence without semi-colons—although colons, dashes, and
even parentheses are allowed. Learning to express yourself succinctly is an important skill in our cultural
context.
Main Ideas: Following the topic sentence is a bullet point listing of the 4–6 most important or interesting
concepts found in the reading. If you have less than 4 points, go back and see if you can break one of the points
into multiple smaller points to use instead. If you have more than 6 consider how you can combine two or
more or decide which points to cut. Each point should have 1–3 sentences explaining the idea. Use citations
within square brackets (e.g., [13]) so that you can easily go back later and find the location of these main ideas.
Avoid large, explicit quotations from the reading—but you will often find you are lifting words directly from
the text, especially technical terms and phrases. These terms and phrases do not need to be placed within
quotation marks. Doing the Main Ideas is as much of an art as it is a science. Notice in the example below that
in the first point a general statement is made covering pages 8–10, but the next sentence goes back and provides
two additional details. The next entry, however, has two sentences that follow the page order. And the last three
all are single, complex sentences. All are fine—it is just a question of what makes more sense to you and will
help you recall the material when you go back to re-read it.
Application: For the application write 1–3 sentences regarding how an idea or a concept from the reading might
impact your individual life or that you could build a sermon around. If you choose the sermon option, please
include the primary biblical text you would use.
Questions: Finally, you will ask 2–3 questions regarding the reading, again arranged as bullet points. These can
directly relate to understanding the material, implications raised by the reading, questions regarding the
relative strength, etc. Each sentence in this section should end in a question mark—you are asking questions
here, not making comments. Provide a citation—this will help the professor have a better idea of what you are
asking about.
Example ATCS: Note I have indented the margins and changed the font to make it stand out from the rest of
the page:
Thesis: Argues for the priority of grace over alternative starting positions for theology.
Main Ideas:
2
▪ Doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation, taking the inter-trinitarian love of the Father and the Son as
the essence of God [8–10]. The author uses Augustine’s idea of the Holy Spirit as the mutual love of
the Father and the Son [9] and the social model of the trinity as proposed by Richard of St Victor [10].
▪ Grace as the extension of God’s trinitarian essence (love) to creation [13]. Grace precedes all other
relations between God and his creation including being sovereign or creator [15–17].
▪ The priority of grace demonstrated through biblical examples: the calling of Abraham [18], the exodus
preceding the giving of the law [19], and most crucially the incarnation [20–23].
▪ Distortions when alternative starting points are utilized: sovereignty [23–24], power [24], free will
[25], tolerance [26], and rationality [27].
▪ Pentecostal positions are explained in terms of grace including the nature and distribution of spiritual
gifts [28–9], prophecy [30–32], and physical healing [34].
Application: I tend to see sovereignty as the thing that makes God “God,” so Christianity is reduced to
obedience to God’s commands. But if God is essentially love, then God’s commands are based in
love (not just divine power) and my obedience is a loving response to a loving command—this has
a totally different feel to it.
Questions:
▪ Why isn’t the Father’s love for the Son part of the Father and the Son’s love for the Father part of the
Son instead of being a distinct person who is neither Father nor Son [9]?
▪ Does starting with grace [15–17] reduce God’s role to “God for me” compared to other starting points
like God’s sovereignty or glory?
▪ Does the author’s pentecostal background, with its emphasis on “gifts” [28–29] cause the author to be
more inclined to the idea of the importance of grace?
As you can see in the example, grammar is not the highest priority; instead, economy of expression in
communicating the content takes precedence. Even so, intelligibility, including spelling, is still expected for the
entries.
Assessment: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are graded generously as long as it is clear to the
professor a good faith attempt has been made and all requirements are met—typically in the 85 –90% range.
Scores below 85% usually occur from not including an element (like forgetting citations) or failing to meet the
minimum or exceeding the maximum requirements—for example having 8 main ideas or having only one
question. Points may also be deducted for a late ATCS. Typically, ATCSs will not receive credit if they are
submitted after the class session where those readings are being discussed. Talk to the professor if a situation
arises that causes a problem submitting an ATCS on time.
Tips + Tricks: Here are few things that might help—none are required.
Compressing a Long Thesis: If you are having trouble coming up with a single sentence for your thesis here are
two approaches that can help. The first is to write out a multi-sentence thesis. Then try and compress it down to
just one sentence that has the most important parts in it. The second is to do the Main Ideas first, then look at
them and ask yourself, “what do they all have in common?”—that’s your thesis!
Cut and Paste: Some students may find it easier to do their ATCS entries in a Word document and then paste
the particular entry into the assignment on Discovery. This also makes it easier to go back and do a quick
review before the class sessions and doing projects.
Make a Template: The most common loss of points in an ATCS happens when someone (1) forgets to cite their
main ideas, (2) forgets each sentence in the question section ends with a question mark, and (3) doesn’t meet
the length requirements. To help avoid this, create a blank template within your Word document. Fill it out,
then copy and paste what you’ve written into Discovery. You’ll quickly see if you didn’t meet the assignment
requirements. For example:
Assignment:
Thesis:
3
Main Ideas:
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
[]
[]
Application:
Questions:
▪ [] ?
▪ [] ?
[] ?
In this example I put square brackets to remind me to cite and a question mark at the end of each question—so
that it doesn’t become a comment instead of a question. I also put the minimum number of bullet points with
one symbol (the square) and the optional ones with another symbol (the circle) to help remind myself of the
minimum and maximum. You don’t have to use this system (or do a template at all) but I just put it up here to
stimulate your thinking.
Start Early + Take Breaks: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are a great way to help you read and process
the textbooks at a deeper level, but this deeper level takes more time. So starting earlier is better than starting
later and taking breaks becomes even more important as you work your way through these assigned readings.
**## G-245-271.docx**
**Grenz, 245-271**
Read pages
**Grenz, 245-271** in
the book: Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN 978-0802847553
**Use easy English.**
**No AI such as ChatGPT or Gemini or similar.**
**Note that they AI detector to detect any AI texts, AI paraphrasing or Plagiarism.**
**## GS-Actexpl..pdf**
1
Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary
Writing Guide
The Basics: An Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary (ATCS) is a concise summary of a chapter or section of
a course textbook. It can serve several purposes in a course: (1) milestones helping you pace your pre-reading
for the class sessions; (2) solidifying your understanding of the reading as you process the material and consider
how best to summarize it; (3) assist with retrieving material you may use in class discussions, writing course
papers, and even after the course is completed; (5) provide insight for the professor into areas which may
require more clarification in class sessions.
Elements: There are 4 components for each ATCS entry: Thesis Sentence, Main Ideas, Application, and
Questions
Thesis Sentence: The first sentence is the thesis sentence—what the chapter is about. This sentence should be
general enough to cover the entire reading yet specific enough that someone who has not read the reading
would have a decent idea of the content and that if you came back to read it 2 years from now you would have
a good idea of the content. This must be a single sentence without semi-colons—although colons, dashes, and
even parentheses are allowed. Learning to express yourself succinctly is an important skill in our cultural
context.
Main Ideas: Following the topic sentence is a bullet point listing of the 4–6 most important or interesting
concepts found in the reading. If you have less than 4 points, go back and see if you can break one of the points
into multiple smaller points to use instead. If you have more than 6 consider how you can combine two or
more or decide which points to cut. Each point should have 1–3 sentences explaining the idea. Use citations
within square brackets (e.g., [13]) so that you can easily go back later and find the location of these main ideas.
Avoid large, explicit quotations from the reading—but you will often find you are lifting words directly from
the text, especially technical terms and phrases. These terms and phrases do not need to be placed within
quotation marks. Doing the Main Ideas is as much of an art as it is a science. Notice in the example below that
in the first point a general statement is made covering pages 8–10, but the next sentence goes back and provides
two additional details. The next entry, however, has two sentences that follow the page order. And the last three
all are single, complex sentences. All are fine—it is just a question of what makes more sense to you and will
help you recall the material when you go back to re-read it.
Application: For the application write 1–3 sentences regarding how an idea or a concept from the reading might
impact your individual life or that you could build a sermon around. If you choose the sermon option, please
include the primary biblical text you would use.
Questions: Finally, you will ask 2–3 questions regarding the reading, again arranged as bullet points. These can
directly relate to understanding the material, implications raised by the reading, questions regarding the
relative strength, etc. Each sentence in this section should end in a question mark—you are asking questions
here, not making comments. Provide a citation—this will help the professor have a better idea of what you are
asking about.
Example ATCS: Note I have indented the margins and changed the font to make it stand out from the rest of
the page:
Thesis: Argues for the priority of grace over alternative starting positions for theology.
Main Ideas:
2
▪ Doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation, taking the inter-trinitarian love of the Father and the Son as
the essence of God [8–10]. The author uses Augustine’s idea of the Holy Spirit as the mutual love of
the Father and the Son [9] and the social model of the trinity as proposed by Richard of St Victor [10].
▪ Grace as the extension of God’s trinitarian essence (love) to creation [13]. Grace precedes all other
relations between God and his creation including being sovereign or creator [15–17].
▪ The priority of grace demonstrated through biblical examples: the calling of Abraham [18], the exodus
preceding the giving of the law [19], and most crucially the incarnation [20–23].
▪ Distortions when alternative starting points are utilized: sovereignty [23–24], power [24], free will
[25], tolerance [26], and rationality [27].
▪ Pentecostal positions are explained in terms of grace including the nature and distribution of spiritual
gifts [28–9], prophecy [30–32], and physical healing [34].
Application: I tend to see sovereignty as the thing that makes God “God,” so Christianity is reduced to
obedience to God’s commands. But if God is essentially love, then God’s commands are based in
love (not just divine power) and my obedience is a loving response to a loving command—this has
a totally different feel to it.
Questions:
▪ Why isn’t the Father’s love for the Son part of the Father and the Son’s love for the Father part of the
Son instead of being a distinct person who is neither Father nor Son [9]?
▪ Does starting with grace [15–17] reduce God’s role to “God for me” compared to other starting points
like God’s sovereignty or glory?
▪ Does the author’s pentecostal background, with its emphasis on “gifts” [28–29] cause the author to be
more inclined to the idea of the importance of grace?
As you can see in the example, grammar is not the highest priority; instead, economy of expression in
communicating the content takes precedence. Even so, intelligibility, including spelling, is still expected for the
entries.
Assessment: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are graded generously as long as it is clear to the
professor a good faith attempt has been made and all requirements are met—typically in the 85 –90% range.
Scores below 85% usually occur from not including an element (like forgetting citations) or failing to meet the
minimum or exceeding the maximum requirements—for example having 8 main ideas or having only one
question. Points may also be deducted for a late ATCS. Typically, ATCSs will not receive credit if they are
submitted after the class session where those readings are being discussed. Talk to the professor if a situation
arises that causes a problem submitting an ATCS on time.
Tips + Tricks: Here are few things that might help—none are required.
Compressing a Long Thesis: If you are having trouble coming up with a single sentence for your thesis here are
two approaches that can help. The first is to write out a multi-sentence thesis. Then try and compress it down to
just one sentence that has the most important parts in it. The second is to do the Main Ideas first, then look at
them and ask yourself, “what do they all have in common?”—that’s your thesis!
Cut and Paste: Some students may find it easier to do their ATCS entries in a Word document and then paste
the particular entry into the assignment on Discovery. This also makes it easier to go back and do a quick
review before the class sessions and doing projects.
Make a Template: The most common loss of points in an ATCS happens when someone (1) forgets to cite their
main ideas, (2) forgets each sentence in the question section ends with a question mark, and (3) doesn’t meet
the length requirements. To help avoid this, create a blank template within your Word document. Fill it out,
then copy and paste what you’ve written into Discovery. You’ll quickly see if you didn’t meet the assignment
requirements. For example:
Assignment:
Thesis:
3
Main Ideas:
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
[]
[]
Application:
Questions:
▪ [] ?
▪ [] ?
[] ?
In this example I put square brackets to remind me to cite and a question mark at the end of each question—so
that it doesn’t become a comment instead of a question. I also put the minimum number of bullet points with
one symbol (the square) and the optional ones with another symbol (the circle) to help remind myself of the
minimum and maximum. You don’t have to use this system (or do a template at all) but I just put it up here to
stimulate your thinking.
Start Early + Take Breaks: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are a great way to help you read and process
the textbooks at a deeper level, but this deeper level takes more time. So starting earlier is better than starting
later and taking breaks becomes even more important as you work your way through these assigned readings.
**## G-245-271.docx**
**Grenz, 245-271**
Read pages
**Grenz, 245-271** in
the book: Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN 978-0802847553
**Use easy English.**
**No AI such as ChatGPT or Gemini or similar.**
**Note that they AI detector to detect any AI texts, AI paraphrasing or Plagiarism.**
**## GS-Actexpl..pdf**
1
Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary
Writing Guide
The Basics: An Annotated Textbook Chapter Summary (ATCS) is a concise summary of a chapter or section of
a course textbook. It can serve several purposes in a course: (1) milestones helping you pace your pre-reading
for the class sessions; (2) solidifying your understanding of the reading as you process the material and consider
how best to summarize it; (3) assist with retrieving material you may use in class discussions, writing course
papers, and even after the course is completed; (5) provide insight for the professor into areas which may
require more clarification in class sessions.
Elements: There are 4 components for each ATCS entry: Thesis Sentence, Main Ideas, Application, and
Questions
Thesis Sentence: The first sentence is the thesis sentence—what the chapter is about. This sentence should be
general enough to cover the entire reading yet specific enough that someone who has not read the reading
would have a decent idea of the content and that if you came back to read it 2 years from now you would have
a good idea of the content. This must be a single sentence without semi-colons—although colons, dashes, and
even parentheses are allowed. Learning to express yourself succinctly is an important skill in our cultural
context.
Main Ideas: Following the topic sentence is a bullet point listing of the 4–6 most important or interesting
concepts found in the reading. If you have less than 4 points, go back and see if you can break one of the points
into multiple smaller points to use instead. If you have more than 6 consider how you can combine two or
more or decide which points to cut. Each point should have 1–3 sentences explaining the idea. Use citations
within square brackets (e.g., [13]) so that you can easily go back later and find the location of these main ideas.
Avoid large, explicit quotations from the reading—but you will often find you are lifting words directly from
the text, especially technical terms and phrases. These terms and phrases do not need to be placed within
quotation marks. Doing the Main Ideas is as much of an art as it is a science. Notice in the example below that
in the first point a general statement is made covering pages 8–10, but the next sentence goes back and provides
two additional details. The next entry, however, has two sentences that follow the page order. And the last three
all are single, complex sentences. All are fine—it is just a question of what makes more sense to you and will
help you recall the material when you go back to re-read it.
Application: For the application write 1–3 sentences regarding how an idea or a concept from the reading might
impact your individual life or that you could build a sermon around. If you choose the sermon option, please
include the primary biblical text you would use.
Questions: Finally, you will ask 2–3 questions regarding the reading, again arranged as bullet points. These can
directly relate to understanding the material, implications raised by the reading, questions regarding the
relative strength, etc. Each sentence in this section should end in a question mark—you are asking questions
here, not making comments. Provide a citation—this will help the professor have a better idea of what you are
asking about.
Example ATCS: Note I have indented the margins and changed the font to make it stand out from the rest of
the page:
Thesis: Argues for the priority of grace over alternative starting positions for theology.
Main Ideas:
2
▪ Doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation, taking the inter-trinitarian love of the Father and the Son as
the essence of God [8–10]. The author uses Augustine’s idea of the Holy Spirit as the mutual love of
the Father and the Son [9] and the social model of the trinity as proposed by Richard of St Victor [10].
▪ Grace as the extension of God’s trinitarian essence (love) to creation [13]. Grace precedes all other
relations between God and his creation including being sovereign or creator [15–17].
▪ The priority of grace demonstrated through biblical examples: the calling of Abraham [18], the exodus
preceding the giving of the law [19], and most crucially the incarnation [20–23].
▪ Distortions when alternative starting points are utilized: sovereignty [23–24], power [24], free will
[25], tolerance [26], and rationality [27].
▪ Pentecostal positions are explained in terms of grace including the nature and distribution of spiritual
gifts [28–9], prophecy [30–32], and physical healing [34].
Application: I tend to see sovereignty as the thing that makes God “God,” so Christianity is reduced to
obedience to God’s commands. But if God is essentially love, then God’s commands are based in
love (not just divine power) and my obedience is a loving response to a loving command—this has
a totally different feel to it.
Questions:
▪ Why isn’t the Father’s love for the Son part of the Father and the Son’s love for the Father part of the
Son instead of being a distinct person who is neither Father nor Son [9]?
▪ Does starting with grace [15–17] reduce God’s role to “God for me” compared to other starting points
like God’s sovereignty or glory?
▪ Does the author’s pentecostal background, with its emphasis on “gifts” [28–29] cause the author to be
more inclined to the idea of the importance of grace?
As you can see in the example, grammar is not the highest priority; instead, economy of expression in
communicating the content takes precedence. Even so, intelligibility, including spelling, is still expected for the
entries.
Assessment: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are graded generously as long as it is clear to the
professor a good faith attempt has been made and all requirements are met—typically in the 85 –90% range.
Scores below 85% usually occur from not including an element (like forgetting citations) or failing to meet the
minimum or exceeding the maximum requirements—for example having 8 main ideas or having only one
question. Points may also be deducted for a late ATCS. Typically, ATCSs will not receive credit if they are
submitted after the class session where those readings are being discussed. Talk to the professor if a situation
arises that causes a problem submitting an ATCS on time.
Tips + Tricks: Here are few things that might help—none are required.
Compressing a Long Thesis: If you are having trouble coming up with a single sentence for your thesis here are
two approaches that can help. The first is to write out a multi-sentence thesis. Then try and compress it down to
just one sentence that has the most important parts in it. The second is to do the Main Ideas first, then look at
them and ask yourself, “what do they all have in common?”—that’s your thesis!
Cut and Paste: Some students may find it easier to do their ATCS entries in a Word document and then paste
the particular entry into the assignment on Discovery. This also makes it easier to go back and do a quick
review before the class sessions and doing projects.
Make a Template: The most common loss of points in an ATCS happens when someone (1) forgets to cite their
main ideas, (2) forgets each sentence in the question section ends with a question mark, and (3) doesn’t meet
the length requirements. To help avoid this, create a blank template within your Word document. Fill it out,
then copy and paste what you’ve written into Discovery. You’ll quickly see if you didn’t meet the assignment
requirements. For example:
Assignment:
Thesis:
3
Main Ideas:
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
▪ []
[]
[]
Application:
Questions:
▪ [] ?
▪ [] ?
[] ?
In this example I put square brackets to remind me to cite and a question mark at the end of each question—so
that it doesn’t become a comment instead of a question. I also put the minimum number of bullet points with
one symbol (the square) and the optional ones with another symbol (the circle) to help remind myself of the
minimum and maximum. You don’t have to use this system (or do a template at all) but I just put it up here to
stimulate your thinking.
Start Early + Take Breaks: Annotated Textbook Chapter Summaries are a great way to help you read and process
the textbooks at a deeper level, but this deeper level takes more time. So starting earlier is better than starting
later and taking breaks becomes even more important as you work your way through these assigned readings.