But let me assure you, especially you new seminarians, that there is another guy you do not want to be.  In the fine tradition of the “Real Men of Genius” radio commercials that salute such men as “Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor”, “Mr. Bathroom Toilet Paper Roll Changer”, and “Mr. Scoreboard Marriage Proposal Guy”, I give to you this guy not to be:  ”Mr. Ask a Question in Class to Try to Look Smarter Guy.”

Allow me to illustrate.  While sitting through my first semester of Introduction to the New Testament, I can recall that, almost every day, a particular student would pose at least one question in class.  This event was always special, because, whenever this gentlemen would raise his hand, the sound of other students’ pencils (think pre-laptop saturation) dropping to their desks made it sound as though a tiny little wooden rain storm had somehow begun inside the room.  Undeterred, this student would ask a question that usually began with the phrase “Don’t you think. . . ” and would continue through at least five minutes of him expounding his particular view of some topic for the professor to approve.  Honestly, I never recall this man asking a question that he did not think he already knew the answer to.  All of his questions-all of them-were intended to make sure that the professor would say, “Yes, that’s right.”

Not being Mr. Ask a Question in Class to Try to Look Smarter Guy will aid your survival at seminary.  Why?  First, you will have fewer students plotting your untimely demise (or, in Christian terms, plotting your predetermined entry to glory).  Second, you will actually have time to hear what your professor actually does think about the topic that he actually intends to teach.  Third, you will have a far smaller chance of expounding heresy in a classroom only to have to be publicly corrected by the professor who has so patiently allowed you to jam all ten toes into your mouth.  And fourth, it could be that another student in the class has a question that will be helpful to the entire class, a question that brings forth from the professor greater explanation of the topic at hand.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we all want to participate appropriately in class.  If the professor is asking for your opinion, feel free to give him what he seeks.  If it is a group discussion, join in and have a blast (within limits of courtesy and decency).  But please, for your own ability to learn and for the sake of the sanity of those who sit in class around you, do not ever become Mr. Ask a Question in Class to Try to Look Smarter Guy.

Know the Expectations

The first thing that you should do when assigned a book review is understand exactly what your professor expects of you. If he only wants a brief summary to prove that you read the book, do it. If she wants a brief summary with a mountain of personal observations, do it. If he wants mainly critique to prove that such a book is not theologically accurate, do your best.

Nothing will frustrate you more than writing a nice, solid, five-page critique of a book only to find out that your professor only wanted a paragraph or two of your thoughts. OK, perhaps you will be more frustrated when you write a two-page, single-spaced review of a book and then discover that your professor wanted a more formal interaction. The point is, do what is expected.

What Goes Into a Book Review?

When I was a student at Southern Seminary in Louisville, most of my book reviews required the following:

• Brief introduction (No more than ½ page ) – This includes both what the book is and who the author is. Show that you know why this particular author might be considered a significant voice in his or her field of writing.

• Brief summary (No more than 1 page) – This is the most dangerous part of a book review. Your professor has read the book, and does not want you to go into chapter-by-chapter detail. However, he or she does want to know that you can boil the book down into a simple set of points and demonstrate an understanding of the material.

• Points of Agreement (1 ½ pages) – This should include several of the author’s arguments and points with which you particularly believe to be strong. Generally a paragraph in this section will contain a quotation or two followed by biblical or philosophical reasons why you believe the point to be strong.

• Points of Disagreement (1 ½ pages) – This section is the opposite of the previous section. Be careful not to simply say that you dislike something without reason. Be careful assuming that everyone knows why a point is bad. Use reason and scripture to defend your disagreement with a quote or system of argument.

• Brief Conclusion (1/2 page) – This one or two paragraph section should tie the review together, and allow you a final thought about the book. Perhaps this would be a good section to say whether or not you would recommend this particular book to someone, or under what circumstances you believe the book could be used well.

Some Questions to Ask

Here are a few things you might ask a professor who is assigning you book reviews for the first time (Note that many of the answers to these questions can be found in a seminary’s style guide if one exists for your school):

• Is there a standard format you wish for our book reviews to follow?
• Is there a particular length you wish for the review to be?
• Is it acceptable to write in first person (“I believe . . .”) or must I use a more formal style?
• Is there a particular style of citation that you wish me to use for quotations?
• Any rules concerning font, margins, spacing, etc?

Tips for the Task

Here are some thoughts that may help you to plan to tackle your book review. Though you can write your review in many ways, this is a system that has helped me to become much more efficient:

• While it may seem terribly unspiritual, you do not need to totally scour and digest a book in order to be able to give it a fair and accurate review. Many bloggers have shared tips for reading books for content, and I will not repeat them here. However, you can read a book in many different ways; so be wise.

• When reading your book for a book review, I suggest reading it with two differently colored highlighters, a pen, and a notebook.

• As you read, write in your notebook a brief summary of each chapter or of each main argument.

• When a sentence or paragraph in the book strikes you as positive, highlight it in one color.

• When a sentence or paragraph strikes you negatively, highlight it in a different color from the positive points.

• If a question strikes you regarding the author’s content, argument, sources, application of scripture, note it in your notebook with the relevant page number.

• Once you have finished the book, skim through the positive highlights and summarize the patterns you see of several different types of positive points. Do the same for the negatives. Keep boiling down your observations into coherent thoughts.

• Use your summaries from the notebook to write your brief summary of the book.

• Use your compiled positive and negative statements to write the main body of your review.

• Use the book jacket or “About the author” section to help you to write your introduction.

• Use all that you have gathered in your review to complete a consistent conclusion.

Get Used to This

If you are at seminary, you will be writing reviews; there’s no way around it. So, get used to the idea. Find a system that works for you, and refine it so that you can do the best work in the least time. Who knows, you may want to keep your reviews in order to help others who pick up the same volume in the future. Write a review that will satisfy your course requirements and possibly help you to remember what you think of a book later.

Travis Peterson is a contributing writer for Seminary Survival Guide. He is a pastor in Southern Illinois, a D. Min. candidate in Biblical Counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a blogger.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 – Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Why are you at seminary? If you are like most, you will say that you are at seminary in order to receive training for ministry. You are learning. You are working. You are thinking hard. You are doing what is necessary to get out of seminary and into a place of service to the Lord.

As you think of your training, as the semester begins, let me give you this reminder: train for godliness. So many students come to seminary to build knowledge-an act which is certainly necessary. However, many students come to seminary and only build knowledge. It is very tempting to study and theorize about obscure principles while growing more and more conceited. The more you spend time in graduate-level courses pondering the deep things of God, the more tempting it is to think that you are smarter, wiser, and simply better than the average local church member. Beware.

Bodily training is of some good. Doubtless mental training is also of some good. But neither of these two kinds of training is training for godliness. You must learn more than religious theories and theological argument. You must learn to be godly. You must learn not only to define holiness, but to live holiness. You must learn not only to preach sermons, but to love those to whom you preach. You must learn not only to plan programs, but to live out godliness in secret. If your seminary time educates you theoretically but does not aid you in your own personal sanctification, your seminary training does not prep you for ministry.
How can you train for godliness?

• Read the Bible for growth and not just for class.
• Spend time with non-seminary, godly men and women in a local church.
• Seek out someone as a friend at seminary who is deeply devoted to growth in godliness and who is not simply a seminary know-it-all.
• Live with character at seminary. Do not be dishonest (even on reading reports). Do not break the code of conduct (even if you disagree with its standards). If you won’t live with integrity at school, you will set a pattern of failure for your future ministry.
• Get connected to a local pastor who is not a seminary prof and who is not starry-eyed about your seminary education. Let him show you what godliness in ministry looks like.
• (You can probably come up with 50 more.)

Make a commitment to be trained at seminary for godliness, and you will find that you have done something truly worthwhile when you graduate. You must, absolutely must, take advantage of this glorious opportunity to grow in Christ (not simply to grow in your own understanding of how bright you are). Take it from a guy who has spent a few years in local church ministry, you will be glad for what you have learned in seminary; but you will treasure seminary if you are truly trained in godliness.
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This is a guest post by Travis Peterson, a pastor in Southern Illinois, a D. Min. candidate in Biblical Counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a blogger.