The first paper consists of writing an essay, choosing from any of the topics listed below. The essay should be at least 4-pages (approx. 1500 words) in length.

Your response will be assessed in good measure on how well you support your essay with your reading of the assigned material, and for overall organization and coherence. You may additionally support your response by relying on pertinent readings. Please use quotations judiciously; quote only as much as is necessary to support or illustrate your argument. Short quoted material should be followed by author’s name and page number, enclosed within parentheses. Any web references should be chosen with great care and also cited. Extended quoted material, if necessary, should be indented as a separate paragraph. Paper should be in subsequent numbered pages, Times New Roman 12 font, with one-inch margins.

3. What sorts of implications do you draw from the two creation accounts offered in the beginning of Genesis, for the place and role of human beings in creation and also specifically for the relation between human beings and rest of nature? You may wish to draw upon Wendell Berry’s essay on “Christianity and the Role of Creation” and “Laudato Si”, the recent Encyclical letter from the Pope.