APOLOGETICS APPLICATION PAPER

  

APOLOGETICS APPLICATION PAPER – PART 1 SUBMISSION FORM

Make sure you read and understand the Apologetics Application Paper Instructions document (available in Blackboard) before you attempt to complete any part of this form.

Do not change any aspect of this form; and do not delete anything from this form. Instead, just type your content in the spaces provided, below. Before typing your content, you should review the entire document to be sure you understand what is required.

Type your name here:

Type the submission date here: 

Instructions for this submission 

The purpose of Part 1 is to provide you with a few major building blocks that can be incorporated into your final paper. In the sections provided below, you will name the worldview you will be writing about, you will list a few sources you will use in your research, and you will begin building the foundation for what will become the first two major sections in the body of your final paper.

1. Worldview Selection

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate three choices: secular humanism, scientific naturalism, or postmodernism. Of these three, which will you write your paper about?

Type your selected worldview here: 

2. Preliminary List of Sources

Not including your course textbooks, list 3–4 sources that you will use in the paper. At this stage of the project, you should focus on sources that help you understand and evaluate the worldview you have selected to write about. You should do your best to focus on “scholarly” sources (see the Apologetics Application Paper instructions for a definition and explanation of what “scholarly” means). Format each according to current Turabian and LUSD requirements for a bibliography.

  

The remainder of this form will help you begin working on what will become the first two major sections of your final paper – the summary and evaluation of the worldview you are writing about.

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate that the basic outline for your final paper should follow this structure:

I. Introduction

II. Summary of the Worldview

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

IV. Evaluation of Christianity

V. Defense of Christianity

VI. Conclusion

In what follows, you will be crafting the building blocks that will eventually become sections II and III in that outline.

II. Summary of the Worldview

This section will form the building blocks of what will become the first major section in the body of your final paper (section II in the outline above): Summarize the worldview by using the main categories of belief discussed in Chapter 4 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics. In that section, Groothuis describes the Christian worldview using several major categories of belief. However, instead of discussing Christianity, you will use this section of the paper to describe the beliefs of the worldview you are writing about using those same categories of belief.

Below is a bullet-list naming several of the most important categories of belief that Groothuis mentions. Under each of the categories of belief named below, type a brief description (one or two sentences) of the beliefs in that category for the worldview you have selected to evaluate. (You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.)

· ULTIMATE REALITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately real?):

· SOURCE OF ULTIMATE AUTHORITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately authoritative?):

· EPISTEMOLOGY (For the worldview you selected above, how do we gain knowledge?):

· HUMAN BEINGS (For the worldview you selected above, what are human beings?):

· SOURCE OF MORALITY (For the worldview you selected above, where does morality come from and what is its nature?):

· (you may expand this list, if you wish, by adding other significant beliefs, following the other categories of belief that Groothuis mentions)

  
III. Evaluation of the Worldview

This section is focused on helping you build what will become the second major section of the body of your final paper (section III in the outline above): Evaluate your selected worldview in order to show that it fails to provide a rational, livable, comprehensive system.

In Chapter 3 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics, he provides a list of 8 criteria that can be used to evaluate a worldview. The criteria Groothuis names are as follows:

1. explains what it ought to explain (Are there significant features of life or reality that this worldview cannot explain?)

2. internal logical consistency (Are there internal logical contradictions in the worldview?)

3. coherence (Do the various elements of the worldview fit together to form a coherent system?)

4. factual adequacy (Do the beliefs of the worldview conflict with facts we already know from other fields of study?)

5. existential viability (Is it possible to actually live out the worldview in a morally and philosophically consistent way?)

6. intellectual and cultural fecundity (Does the worldview inspire cultural and intellectual discovery, creativity, and productivity?)

7. radical ad hoc readjustment (Has the worldview had to readjust its core claims in order to accommodate new, compelling counter-evidence?)

8. simpler explanations are better than complex ones (Does the worldview offer simpler explanations about important features of reality, or more complex explanations?)

From the 8 criteria listed above, select several that you think will be most helpful in evaluating your selected worldview; and in the bullet list below, list those criteria along with an explanation briefly describing how / why the worldview fails that test. You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.

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Rev. 2017
APOL 500

Apologetics Application Paper Instructions

Choose a non-Christian worldview (see page 2 of these instructions for the worldviews you may choose from). Write a paper that evaluates the worldview using the method described in the Groothuis text, that defends Christianity, and that demonstrates a working knowledge of the assigned course readings and accomplishes the following goals:

1. Summarize the worldview by using the main categories of belief discussed in the assigned course reading (see Groothuis Chapter 4 for some of the main categories of belief: ultimate reality, source of authority, human beings, source of morality, etc.). This section of the paper must be approximately 600 words.

2. Use Groothuis’s criteria for evaluating worldviews (see Groothuis Chapter 3) in order to reveal the significant ways in which the selected worldview fails in providing a rational, livable, comprehensive system. This section of the paper must be 600-750 words.

3. Evaluate Christianity by the same criteria. Show that Christianity is a better (both intellectually and existentially), more reasonable alternative to the worldview selected, and that Christianity is more likely to be true. By using the same evaluation criteria as given in the previous section, this will show that Christianity does not suffer from the same flaws as the worldview you evaluated. This section of the paper must be 600-750 words.

4. Defend key aspects of the Christian worldview. The defense must take into consideration the beliefs and perspective of the worldview you have selected; and must demonstrate a good working knowledge of the standard arguments as presented in the course materials. This section must include significant discussion on at least 2 of the following subjects: the problem of evil, several arguments for the existence of God, defense of the resurrection of Jesus, defense of objective truth and/or moral values. This section of the paper must be 750-1000 words.

These four requirements will form the basis of the structure of your paper and must be treated as four separate sections in the body of the paper. In addition to these requirements, the paper must have a proper introduction, conclusion, and follow the structure of a standard academic essay. The introduction must include a clear thesis statement—a main claim about the worldview that provides unity to the overall presentation. Including both the introduction and conclusion but not the title and bibliography pages, the total length of the paper must be 2800 – 3300 words (including the main text only, not footnotes, front matter, or the bibliography).

Given these instructions, the basic outline for your paper should be as follows:

I. Introduction

II. Summary of the Worldview

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

IV. Evaluation of Christianity

V. Defense of Christianity

VI. Conclusion

Instructions continued next page

Worldview Choices – Choose one of these three worldviews to write about in this paper:

1. Scientific Naturalism

2. Secular Humanism

3. Postmodernism

Outside Research (Required)

Course textbooks may be used. In addition to these, at least 10 high-quality, scholarly sources must be used. A scholarly source is one that is published in print by an academic publisher, university, or scholarly society. Academic journal articles and books are acceptable sources. Many scholarly sources are available in both hard-copy printed format and electronic form through the Jerry Falwell Library. Articles appearing on scholarly websites published and maintained by universities or scholarly societies (such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) may be used, but generic websites (such as bible.org, CARM.org, Wikipedia, personal websites, blogs, etc.) must not be used. While less than ideal, it is permissible to use a few websites that contain articles written by people who hold to the worldview you are writing about, even if these websites do not strictly fall into the definition of “scholarly.”

Given the nature of the assignment, you must consult and use several sources written from a perspective that defends the worldview of your selected target audience. Liberty University’s online research tools can be used, which will provide full-text electronic copies of print sources.

This assignment will be completed in 3 parts:

· Parts 1 and 2 are designed to help you develop the building blocks of what will become your final paper. Both Parts 1 and 2 will be submitted on the submission forms provided in Blackboard. Each submission form indicates the instructions and requirements for that part of the assignment – and the submission froms must remain unchanged with the exception of the required content that you type on the form. Attempted submissions that do not use the provided submission form will not be accepted for credit. Each of these parts is designed to help you write a final paper that meets the requirements stated in these instructions. For each part, you must download the form and save it on your computer with a new file name using your last name and the assignment name. Then, type your content directly on the form (without making any other changes to the form) and submit the form in Blackboard using the links provided.

· The final paper must conform to the requirements named above. All aspects of the final paper must follow current Turabian format and the current version of the School of Divinity Writing Guide.

Submit the Apologetics Application Paper – Part 1 by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 3.

Submit the Apologetics Application Paper – Part 2 by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 5.

Submit the Apologetics Application Paper – Final by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of

Module/Week 8.

Page 1 of 2

APOLOGETICS APPLICATION PAPER – PART 1 SUBMISSION FORM

Make sure you read and understand the Apologetics Application Paper Instructions document (available in Blackboard) before you attempt to complete any part of this form.

Do not change any aspect of this form; and do not delete anything from this form. Instead, just type your content in the spaces provided, below. Before typing your content, you should review the entire document to be sure you understand what is required.

Type your name here:

Type the submission date here:

Instructions for this submission

The purpose of Part 1 is to provide you with a few major building blocks that can be incorporated into your final paper. In the sections provided below, you will name the worldview you will be writing about, you will list a few sources you will use in your research, and you will begin building the foundation for what will become the first two major sections in the body of your final paper.

1. Worldview Selection

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate three choices: secular humanism, scientific naturalism, or postmodernism. Of these three, which will you write your paper about?

Type your selected worldview here:

2. Preliminary List of Sources

Not including your course textbooks, list 3–4 sources that you will use in the paper. At this stage of the project, you should focus on sources that help you understand and evaluate the worldview you have selected to write about. You should do your best to focus on “scholarly” sources (see the Apologetics Application Paper instructions for a definition and explanation of what “scholarly” means). Format each according to current Turabian and LUSD requirements for a bibliography.

The remainder of this form will help you begin working on what will become the first two major sections of your final paper – the summary and evaluation of the worldview you are writing about.

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate that the basic outline for your final paper should follow this structure:

I. Introduction

II. Summary of the Worldview

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

IV. Evaluation of Christianity

V. Defense of Christianity

VI. Conclusion

In what follows, you will be crafting the building blocks that will eventually become sections II and III in that outline.

II. Summary of the Worldview

This section will form the building blocks of what will become the first major section in the body of your final paper (section II in the outline above): Summarize the worldview by using the main categories of belief discussed in Chapter 4 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics. In that section, Groothuis describes the Christian worldview using several major categories of belief. However, instead of discussing Christianity, you will use this section of the paper to describe the beliefs of the worldview you are writing about using those same categories of belief.

Below is a bullet-list naming several of the most important categories of belief that Groothuis mentions. Under each of the categories of belief named below, type a brief description (one or two sentences) of the beliefs in that category for the worldview you have selected to evaluate. (You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.)

· ULTIMATE REALITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately real?):

· SOURCE OF ULTIMATE AUTHORITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately authoritative?):

· EPISTEMOLOGY (For the worldview you selected above, how do we gain knowledge?):

· HUMAN BEINGS (For the worldview you selected above, what are human beings?):

· SOURCE OF MORALITY (For the worldview you selected above, where does morality come from and what is its nature?):

· (you may expand this list, if you wish, by adding other significant beliefs, following the other categories of belief that Groothuis mentions)

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

This section is focused on helping you build what will become the second major section of the body of your final paper (section III in the outline above): Evaluate your selected worldview in order to show that it fails to provide a rational, livable, comprehensive system.

In Chapter 3 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics, he provides a list of 8 criteria that can be used to evaluate a worldview. The criteria Groothuis names are as follows:

1. explains what it ought to explain (Are there significant features of life or reality that this worldview cannot explain?)

2. internal logical consistency (Are there internal logical contradictions in the worldview?)

3. coherence (Do the various elements of the worldview fit together to form a coherent system?)

4. factual adequacy (Do the beliefs of the worldview conflict with facts we already know from other fields of study?)

5. existential viability (Is it possible to actually live out the worldview in a morally and philosophically consistent way?)

6. intellectual and cultural fecundity (Does the worldview inspire cultural and intellectual discovery, creativity, and productivity?)

7. radical ad hoc readjustment (Has the worldview had to readjust its core claims in order to accommodate new, compelling counter-evidence?)

8. simpler explanations are better than complex ones (Does the worldview offer simpler explanations about important features of reality, or more complex explanations?)

From the 8 criteria listed above, select several that you think will be most helpful in evaluating your selected worldview; and in the bullet list below, list those criteria along with an explanation briefly describing how / why the worldview fails that test. You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.

1

APOLOGETICS APPLICATION PAPER – PART 1 SUBMISSION FORM

Make sure you read and understand the Apologetics Application Paper Instructions document (available in Blackboard) before you attempt to complete any part of this form.

Do not change any aspect of this form; and do not delete anything from this form. Instead, just type your content in the spaces provided, below. Before typing your content, you should review the entire document to be sure you understand what is required.

Type your name here: Rachelle Pope

Type the submission date here: February 3, 2020

Instructions for this submission

The purpose of Part 1 is to provide you with a few major building blocks that can be incorporated into your final paper. In the sections provided below, you will name the worldview you will be writing about, you will list a few sources you will use in your research, and you will begin building the foundation for what will become the first two major sections in the body of your final paper.

1. Worldview Selection

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate three choices: secular humanism, scientific naturalism, or postmodernism. Of these three, which will you write your paper about?

Type your selected worldview here: Scientific Naturalism

2. Preliminary List of Sources

Not including your course textbooks, list 3–4 sources that you will use in the paper. At this stage of the project, you should focus on sources that help you understand and evaluate the worldview you have selected to write about. You should do your best to focus on “scholarly” sources (see the Apologetics Application Paper instructions for a definition and explanation of what “scholarly” means). Format each according to current Turabian and LUSD requirements for a bibliography.

Griffin, David R. Religion and Scientific Naturalism: Overcoming the Conflicts. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, (2000).

Moreland, James P. What is Scientific Naturalism? Accessed March 4, 2004.

What is Scientific Naturalism?

Papineau, David. Naturalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/naturalism/

, (2017).

Planck, Max. Can science explain everything? Scientific Naturalism and the, death of Science by Denis Alexander. Accessed September 8, 2014.

http://www.jubilee-centre.org/can-science-explain-everything-scientific-naturalism-and-the-death-of-science-by-denis-r-alexander/

The remainder of this form will help you begin working on what will become the first two major sections of your final paper – the summary and evaluation of the worldview you are writing about.

The Apologetics Application Paper Instructions indicate that the basic outline for your final paper should follow this structure:

I. Introduction

II. Summary of the Worldview

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

IV. Evaluation of Christianity

V. Defense of Christianity

VI. Conclusion

In what follows, you will be crafting the building blocks that will eventually become sections II and III in that outline.

II. Summary of the Worldview

This section will form the building blocks of what will become the first major section in the body of your final paper (section II in the outline above): Summarize the worldview by using the main categories of belief discussed in Chapter 4 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics. In that section, Groothuis’s describes the Christian worldview using several major categories of belief. However, instead of discussing Christianity, you will use this section of the paper to describe the beliefs of the worldview you are writing about using those same categories of belief.

Below is a bullet-list naming several of the most important categories of belief that Groothuis’s mentions. Under each of the categories of belief named below, type a brief description (one or two sentences) of the beliefs in that category for the worldview you have selected to evaluate. (You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.)

· ULTIMATE REALITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately real?):

Following the definition provided by Moreland, scientific Naturalism entails the permanent aspects of the universe that came into existence, they are currently there, they were, and ever they will always be. The natural occurrences e.g., the presence of buffaloes and other animals as well as the brains came to be and naturally will always be. But the moral of the mind associated with the brains come after and hence makes it not mandatory for them to be in existence since they depend on the occurrences of the natural aspects of the minds that came into existence by nature itself.

· SOURCE OF ULTIMATE AUTHORITY (For the worldview you selected above, what is ultimately authoritative?):

The ultimate source of authority in scientific Naturalism exists in theology because it’s the only aspect that attempts to reconcile the conflicts that exist between religion and scientific beliefs. Theology works to set apart the expectations in Christianity, and those in science hence forms the authoritative aspect in scientific Naturalism.

· EPISTEMOLOGY (For the worldview you selected above, how do we gain knowledge?):

Through scientific Naturalism, investigations on the earlier existence of things all through to the present got carried out and hence in that way. We get to grasp substantial knowledge that we may not have had before. Scientific Naturalism explains through investigations, the moral values that are invisible in the five brain senses but visible through scientific inquiries.

· HUMAN BEINGS (For the worldview you selected above, what are human beings?):

Following scientific Naturalism, human being’s get considered being part of nature just like any other part of life. Hence scientific Naturalism explains human being as to have originated from a tiny single celled organism which underwent a series of growth phases to become a larger multiple celled complex organism.

· SOURCE OF MORALITY (For the worldview you selected above, where does morality come from and what is its nature?):

It’s easy to experience morality happening around us without getting it from an appropriate authority. The scientific naturalists believe that we can judge the moral and immoral without relying on an independent source of morality, either supernatural or religious. The process occurs through the naturalistic approaches that combine our human scientific understanding and how we live.

· (you may expand this list, if you wish, by adding other significant beliefs, following the other categories of belief that Groothuis’s mentions)

III. Evaluation of the Worldview

This section is focused on helping you build what will become the second major section of the body of your final paper (section III in the outline above): Evaluate your selected worldview in order to show that it fails to provide a rational, livable, comprehensive system.

In Chapter 3 of Groothuis’s Christian Apologetics, he provides a list of 8 criteria that can be used to evaluate a worldview. The criteria Groothuis’s names are as follows:

1. explains what it ought to explain (Are there significant features of life or reality that this worldview cannot explain?)

Scientific Naturalism claims to explain the existence of everything in through scientific means. However, significant weaknesses do arise in the concerned philosophy which extracts ethic from biology. With the various Christian responses to scientific Naturalism, t
hey provide a deeper explanation about the occurrence of many aspects in the universe as well as the human experience. It also confuses that scientific Naturalism itself brings forth a vulnerability of health science in the future. Hence it means that scientific Naturalism gets out competed by the explanations form the Christian faith apologetics on matters of explaining the most significant features of life. Therefore, scientific Naturalism has some notable features which cannot explain

2. internal logical consistency (Are there internal logical contradictions in the worldview?)

According to Albrecht, scientific Naturalism is considered as a self contradictory statement. This worldview explains that nothing ever happens to be beyond the natural world. But on the other hand, everything in scientific Naturalism gets determined through natural approaches. The brain circuits with which naturalists judge the occurrences in the universe got shaped through evolution. Charles Darwin himself in his theory of evolution detected the problem that natural selection does not have enough potential to explain the human mind. Hence an internal logical contradiction exists in the scientific naturalism worldview.

3. coherence (Do the various elements of the worldview fit together to form a coherent system?)

Due to the internal contradictions in scientific naturalization worldview as explained in section 3 above, the different components in this worldview do not work together to form a single coherent system. Scientific Naturalism considered as an ideology, comprises unconfirmed and non-naturalistic alternatives. Many critics’ proofs incoherent as far as internal elements are concerned. A neglected dilemma exists in the scientific naturalism worldview with both external and internal incoherence. Attempts to negotiate the dilemma aspects have failed, and hence this proofs that the elements in it do not fit together for a single coherent system formation.

4. factual adequacy (Do the beliefs of the worldview conflict with facts we already know from other fields of study?)

5. existential viability (Is it possible to actually live out the worldview in a morally and philosophically consistent way?)

In the current technically developing world, it becomes hard to live free of scientific Naturalism either morally or philosophically. With the developments in the field of science which provides solutions to most of the physical and practical experiments, more deviation from religion may get experienced. In the society, scientific Naturalism cuts across like a mineral seam through a rock. This means it becomes impossible to live free of this worldview in the present life. The scientific solution made through experiments tends to influence educational decision-making processes. Economy, media as well as politics.

6. intellectual and cultural fecundity (Does the worldview inspire cultural and intellectual discovery, creativity, and productivity?)

Science promotes educational creativity and discovery approaches. Through it, people get to build and explore their creative potential fully. Hence it does promote intellectual discovery and creativity. During the interactions of different people from various backgrounds in the scientific practice projects, cultural diversity gets promoted.

7. radical ad hoc readjustment (Has the worldview had to readjust its core claims in order to accommodate new, compelling counter-evidence?)

There exists a significant conflict between science and religion in which each works against the other. Science bears flexibility and hence can comfortably adjust to accommodate and support the evidence found in faith. By so doing, the long awaited harmony between the two could finally be attained; thus, yes, the scientific naturalism worldview has to adjust for this to be achieved.

8. simpler explanations are better than complex ones (Does the worldview offer simpler explanations about important features of reality, or more complex explanations?)

Science explanations grow from simple to complex with sequentially building knowledge and enhance a competent understanding. Scientific Naturalism, therefore, provides both complicated and straightforward statements and reality and essential features.

From the 8 criteria listed above, select several that you think will be most helpful in evaluating your selected worldview; and in the bullet list below, list those criteria along with an explanation briefly describing how / why the worldview fails that test. You will have the opportunity to revise, expand, or change these ideas in the next stage of the project.

· · explains what it ought to explain: Basically, science, as claimed to explain everything, does not because in the previous subsections, there exist instances of occurrences e.g., human spirits that science cannot explain. Hence the worldview fails the test. Internal logical consistency: due to the many developed theories aimed to explain and disapprove the other theories, the scientific naturalism worldview fails this test due to the contradictions it brings forth and hence hard to be understood all at once.

· internal logical consistency: due to the many developed theories aimed to define and disapprove the other approaches, the scientific naturalism worldview fails this test due to the contradictions it brings forth and hence hard to be understood all at once.

· existential viability: the daily necessities of technological invention in the various sectors in the world we are living today, missing this worldview would mean failure to pass this test of existence.

· descriptive adequacy: although science explains some real facts in the universe, some concepts when compared with those in another field e.g., creation in Christianity, get outweighed by far; hence it makes it fail to pass the test.

APOL500 Apologetics Application Paper PART 1 Grading Rubric (80 total points)

Advanced 92-100% (A)

Proficient 84-91% (B)

Developing 1-83% (< C) Not present

Criteria	Levels of Achievement
Content 70%		Advanced 92-100% (A)		Proficient 84-91% (B)		Developing 1-83% (< C)		Not present
Worldview Selection	6 points The paper clearly identifies one of the worldview options stated in the instructions that will become the focus of the paper.	5 points The paper clearly identifies one of the worldview options stated in the instructions that will become the focus of the paper.	1 to 4 points The paper clearly identifies one of the worldview options stated in the instructions that will become the focus of the paper.	0 points The paper does not identify one of the worldview options stated in the instructions that will become the focus of the paper.
Preliminary Research	10 points Sources listed demonstrate an advanced understanding of the kinds of sources appropriate for this project. Four high quality, scholarly, and relevant sources are listed (in addition to course textbooks).	8 to 9 points Sources listed demonstrate a proficient understanding of the kinds of sources appropriate for this project. At least 3 high quality, scholarly, and relevant sources are listed (in addition to course textbooks).	1 to 7 points6 Sources listed demonstrate a developing understanding of the kinds of sources appropriate for this project. At least 3 high quality, scholarly sources are listed (in addition to course textbooks).	0 points Does not display an understanding of the kinds of sources appropriate for this project.
Preliminary Summary of the Worldview	18 to 20 points Content displays an advanced understanding of the worldview categories of belief, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those categories to a summary of that worldview. The summary is accurate and focused. Concise and clear bullet point statements are used.	17 points Content displays a proficient understanding of the worldview categories of belief, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those categories to a summary of that worldview. The summary is accurate and generally focused. Concise and clear bullet point statements are used.	1 to 16 points12 Content displays a developing understanding of the worldview categories of belief, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those categories to a summary of that worldview. The summary is generally accurate, with few errors. Bullet point statements are used.	0 points Does not display an understanding of how to summarize the beliefs of a worldview in terms of the categories of belief.
Preliminary Evaluation of the Worldview	18 to 20 points Content displays an advanced understanding of the evaluation criteria, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those criteria to a preliminary evaluation of that worldview. Each point of evaluation is accurate and focused. Concise and clear bullet point statements are used.	17 points Content displays a proficient understanding of the evaluation criteria, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those criteria to a preliminary evaluation of that worldview. Each point of evaluation is accurate and focused. Concise and clear bullet point statements are used.	1 to 16 points12 Content displays a developing understanding of the evaluation criteria, and the ability to analyze the topic worldview in order to apply those criteria to a preliminary evaluation of that worldview. Each point of evaluation is mostly accurate and focused. Bullet point statements are used.	0 points Does not display an understanding of how to evaluate a worldview using the evaluation criteria.
Structure 30%
Grammar, Spelling, and Style	13 to 14 points The paper demonstrates an advanced ability to utilize correct grammar and spelling, and a clear style. Correct spelling and grammar are used throughout. Content is concise, focused, and clear. Proper terminology is used throughout.	12 points The paper demonstrates a proficient ability to utilize correct grammar and spelling, and a clear style. Correct spelling and grammar are used throughout. Content is concise, focused, and clear. Proper terminology is used throughout.	1 to 11 points9 The paper demonstrates a developing ability to utilize correct grammar and spelling, and a clear style. Spelling and grammar are mostly correct. Content clear. Proper terminology is used, for the most part.	0 points Grammar, spelling, and other elements of style do not meet expectations.
Formatting	10 points No changes were made to the submission form. Content was typed into the form exactly as indicated in the instructions.	8 to 9 points The submission form was used properly; with most of the content appearing on the form as expected.	1 to 7 points Some changes were made to the submission form; and some content was not typed in the correct places on the form.	0 points The submission form was not used properly.
Professor Comment	55/80 Good job on this project. You provide some helpful explanations regarding naturalism, and you give some good critiques. However, there seemed to be some confusion in places regarding how to apply some of these evaluations. Remember that these 2 sections should be objective in nature, so you are just to state what naturalism holds and then to show that naturalism fails the criteria listed. Overall, you have some good content, but fine-tuning the presentation is needed.

�You have a good list of resources, but you’ll want to avoid utilizing websites. As explained in the instructions, you need to ensure you are using scholarly sources.

�Good, but on the final paper, ensure you are using primary sources when explaining naturalism. You should utilize those who adhere to naturalism if you are presenting what they believe.

�I would look at this again. You should be stating what naturalism holds as the ultimate authority. I’m not sure how theology fits into this. Naturalism rejects God, so there is no “theology” as an authority.

�This should be something like: Naturalism believes that true knowledge can only be gained through the scientific method.

�Good.

�Be sure you explain what this means. This is key. How do they determine what is moral?

�This section of your paper should be an objective analysis, so there should be no discussion or comparison with Christianity.

�But what inspires people to want to learn if there is no God or afterlife?

1