Jonathan Totty, sponsored by Dr. Steve Cone, won the
graduate competition for his essay, “Irenaeus on the Economy of
God,” and Kory Eastvold, sponsored by Dr. Frank Dicken, won the
undergraduate competition for his essay, “What, Then, Shall We Say?:
The Interpretation of Romans 4:1.” Totty and Eastvold were selected
from six finalists who were pre-selected from all the submissions
prior to the conference.
A third finalist from LCU, Tommy Moehlman, was sponsored by Dr. Paul
Kissling, and competed in the graduate competition with his paper, "Reimagination
and Reinterpretation: An Analysis of the Characterization of Jacob
and Esau in Jubilee.” Students from Great Lakes Christian College,
Nebraska Christian College, Milligan College, Johnson
University-Florida, and the University of Alabama completed the
group of finalists.
“I think it is significant that three of the six finalists were LCU
students,” said Dicken.
When asked why he chose to participate in the competition, Totty
stated, “My motivation was to become a better academic writer.
Writing, like most things in life, can only be learned through
experience.” He continued, “The inspiration was simply an act of
creativity. I wondered what could be gained through taking something
like narrative criticism and applying that method to a field
entrenched with other more popular methods.”
This is the second year in a row in which Eastvold won the SCJC
undergraduate paper competition. His paper was also the winner of
the undergraduate Student Paper Competition at the Evangelical
Theological Society Midwest Region Meeting held at Wheaton College
(IL) on March 10-11, 2017. “I decided to write my paper on Romans
4.1 after reading a footnote in a book that suggested a different
way to translate this verse than what is found in most Bibles. That
suggestion interested me and I looked into it more and became
convinced that it should be translated differently from the usual
translations,” he said. “[A] big part of my motivation was the
opportunity to receive feedback from the judges on my work.”
[to top of second column] |
The Stone-Campbell Journal is published twice a year and provides
a scholarly platform for biblical interpretation, history, theology, philosophy,
apologetics, and cultural criticism for those who value the perspective of the
Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and who endeavor to advance its distinctive
principles today. As part of its annual conference, a student paper competition
encourages top students to develop their skills in research, writing, and
defending a worthy topic in Bible, theology, or history. Preliminary judging
narrows the competition to three finalists for both the undergraduate and
graduate categories. Finalists earn the opportunity to present their papers in
special sessions at the conference from which judges determine the winner in
each category. All finalists receive a free one-year online subscription to SCJ.
The two winners receive complimentary books plus a $2,500 scholarship to any of
10 participating Stone-Campbell connected seminary or graduate school.
Established in 1944, Lincoln Christian University’s mission is to nurture and
equip Christians with a biblical worldview to serve and lead in the church and
the world. Today, LCU offers a variety of degree programs for undergraduate,
graduate and seminary students. Classes are offered on campus, at extension
sites and online. More information is available at www.LincolnChristian.edu.
[Chris Thomas
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Lincoln Christian University]
|