Thread by @TL_Miles

At the close of another semester and round of grading, here are some common errors that I wish all my students would avoid:

#commontheologicalwritingerrors

1. Capitalize "Bible" and "Scripture" when they are used as proper nouns. The definite article that you use preceding them should tip you off.
#commontheologicalwritingerrors

2. Do not capitalize "biblical" or "scriptural" unless they are part of a title. Do not capitalize adjectives.
#commontheologicalwritingerrors

3. Those crucial beliefs that we have are "tenets" of the faith. They are not "tenants" of the faith, despite how familiar (or annoying) to us they may be.

4. Please, in your introduction, tell me what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Give me a road-map by which to navigate your paper. You are writing an argument to persuade me, not a mystery or "whodunit."
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

5. Those red and blue underlines on your Word document are not decorations. They are indicative that something may be amiss. Remember that poor grammar and spelling interferes with your ability to communicate and persuade.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

6. Block quotes do not need quotation marks (unless your quotation has an embedded quote inside it).
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

7. Yes! I want you to cite your sources. It is not only mandatory academic policy, it is also, you know, Christian.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

8. Please don't footnote your Scripture references - use in-text referencing. I know it looks great to have 147 footnotes in your research paper, but when 145 of them are Bible references you did not actually do a lot of research.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

9. When writing a book review, be charitable, generous, and sympathetic as you summarize the arguments of the book you are reviewing. The Golden Rule is actually a pretty good idea - even in a book review.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

10. In the critique part of your book review, err on the side of charity. I was taught to send my book reviews to the authors to ensure that I was fair. I don't require that for assignments, but for published critical reviews it is a good practice.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

11. Please use footnotes. I mean, what is the point of endnotes? Who reads them? Don't make me work when I am reading your paper (or book for that matter). Besides, footnotes take up space on the page, enabling me to turn pages faster. I like that.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

12. Capitalize "Gospel" when referring to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. The good news of salvation through Jesus Christ is the "gospel." That might not be intuitive, but it is typical convention.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

13. Don't change font size or page margins to make your paper length fit. Those are high school tricks (and probably did not work even there). I know all those tricks. I went to high school too.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

14. Most professors strategically assign the paper length requirements. You should be able to do "A" quality work within those parameters. Besides, a bad paper is too long by the end of page one.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

Of course, none of my students @WesternSeminary make any of these mistakes. I am thinking about students at other schools. 🙄
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

15. Others may want to chime in here, but usually I do not want to see the notes in your Study Bible referenced in a research paper. Study Bibles are helpful (and heavy), but they are not designed to be thorough or to develop an argument.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

16. Primary sources always make the best citations. And turn to actual advocates of a position when describing it in your papers. Don't use critics of a position to describe that position. You can use them for the critique.
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors

17. Wikipedia is a fantastic research aid. Use it to launch your research and find good sources. Please do not cite wikipedia in your papers. Cite the actual good sources. Ad fontes!
#CommonTheologicalWritingErrors