Step Three: Group Main Points into Sets

Now review the main points you have distilled and group them into sets. You can draw a bracket around points to make a set. Each set will become a paragraph in your summary. You might label each set with a title to help you realize how each group of points could work together in a unified paragraph.

The Debate

• Debate between Biblical minimalists and other scholars: How accurate is Bible as a history?

• Minimalists argue: Biblical patriarchs did not exist; events described in O.T. did not really happen.

• Moderate scholars say lack of evidence does not rule out possibility for existence of patriarchs.

The Evidence

• No archeological evidence to confirm existence or achievements of Abraham, David, Solomon (minimalists say).

• A lack of evidence in the archeological record does not mean a city did not exist.

• Moreover, some evidence verifies presence of Solomon's military garrisons.

• Some evidence points to possibility that events in Exodus occurred. Example: documentation of slave labor in Egypt during time Exodus is supposed to have occurred.

Nature of the Debate

• The debate = battle between skepticism vs. faith.

• The debate = clash between two ways of reading Bible. Bible as biased narrative, and Bible as framework for discovery of past.

Political and Religious Implications

• Political implications for debate: Who has rightful claim to Holy Land? Jews or Palestinians?

• For Christians, the Bible's historical truth certifies Christ as the one true savior in the history of humankind.

Conclusion: Impact on Search for Truth

• The debate illustrates how political and social forces shape the quest for truth and knowledge.