The Religion Department is excited to announce its annual spring essay contest, “‘I Believe’: Why Christianity Matters.”
The essay should be in the genre of apologetics, meaning a historical and theological defense of the Christian faith.
(Download the official call here: Apologetics Essay Contest 2023.)
—
The Apologetics Award was established in 1994 by a gift from Professors Miles Johnson ’47 and Joyce Johnson ’50. They intended that the award would “encourage student interest and participation in apologetics, in defending the historic Christian faith.” They also wanted “aspiring writers [to] recognize the vital link between Scripture and this historic faith.”
To give students an initial starting point, we have prepared the following prompt for the essay:
Throughout their history, Christians have defended their beliefs through “apologetics” – the attempt to defend religious claims against objections and misrepresentations through rational argument. Topics of Christian apologetics have traditionally included the existence of God as creator, Jesus’ identity and resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, the problem of suffering, and divine justice. These claims are found in the Bible, as well as confessions, like the Apostles’ Creed. How can Christians defend these historic claims rationally? Why do they matter in an increasingly complex world?
Before writing the essay, students should familiarize themselves with the contents of the Apostles’ Creed (http://www.ccel.org/creeds/apostles.creed.html) and Nicene Creed (http://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html), the two most important statements of Christian belief. These are the core faith claims of Christianity that the essay should defend. By its very nature, the task of this essay is an argumentative one. For that reason, students should approach this essay as an intellectual project.
The strength of the evidence and the logic of its organization will be key for writing good essays.
The winning essay will be selected by faculty from the Gustavus Religion Department. Their decision is final.
The winner will receive a $500 prize and be recognized at the Honor’s Day convocation next year.
Requirements: Essays should be 2000-2500 words in length.
Essays should conform to standard conventions of grammar and style.Please use a consistent style (Chicago, MLA, etc.) of your choice for documentation of sources. The contest will be run in accordance with the college honor code.
Please submit your essays via email to Professor Thia Cooper by 11:59pm on Monday, May 1, 2023. Submissions should be in Word or PDF format.
Please email tcooper@gustavus.edu if you have any questions about the contest.