The Wesleyan Quadrilateral and Genre Classifications Essay In this essay students of Biblical Apologetics will be asked to engage

with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as talked about in class and how it relates to interpreting the Bible correctly, namely specific genre classifications. What is the difference between truth claim and truth value and how is proper distinction between the two vital when answering questions of genre and attempting to glean truth form the biblical text? Does proper biblical interpretation necessitate equal interaction with all four sources of ones theology as Wesley understood (scripture, tradition, reason and experience) and why? Students will benefit greatly if they interact with the following quotations taken from V. Phillips Longs The Art of Biblical History as well as any other quotations taken from this text: Without some understanding of the conventions of portraiture [one] would have no basis for classifying [a] painting as a portrait, Something like genre recognition plays an important role in all forms of communication and Unless students of the Bible are willing to sacrifice, as it were, their monolingual and monocultural integrity that is, unless they are willing, by an effort of imagination, to enter a cultural and literary world different in many respects from their own even a high view of the Bibles veracity is no guarantee of a right view of its interpretation. Rubric: Conventional Perfection: no grammatical or spelling mistakes. Structural Perfection: 700-1,000 words, single spaced, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, page numbers and structural markers that clearly indicate transitional activity. Contentual Perfection: introduction, conclusion, clear and concise paragraphs that progress disciplined argumentation and thought provoking sentences that reveal thorough engagement with lectures, assignments and readings. Apologetic Perfection: clear indication that the student has made attempt to apply the conclusions they have drawn while writing this essay to their own theology and the realities that exist outside of the classroom.

Joshua W. Houston

Biblical Apologetics

9/7/2013