Discussion thread using Biblical Worldview

LITERATURE REVIEW

Discussion Thread: Literature Review

A literature review is an unbiased, personal, and informative synopsis of the information published in an area of study (Winchester & Salji, 2016). Literature reviews help a researcher identify gaps in literature, add to the existing body of knowledge, or apply the insights provided in the literature to solve a problem. This assignment demonstrates each of these concepts from a biblical worldview.

Gaps in literature are pieces of insufficient or missing information in the literature that provide a rationale for conducting research. They are the unexplored or under-explored areas in regard to a given character, sample or population, methods of data collection and analysis, or research variables (Winchester & Salji, 2016). For instance, a review of the book of 1st Samuel reveals a gap in the character of Samuel. In 1 Samuel chapter 3, God calls Samuel as a young boy and attests him as his prophet. 1 Samuel 3:19 to 21 states that the Lord was with Samuel and did not allow any of his words to fall to the ground (Revised Standard Version). However, there is a huge gap in Samuel’s character throughout the next few chapters as the Philistines defeat Israel and capture the Ark of the Covenant - he does not appear anywhere. Samuel only reappears in 1 Samuel 7:3 as a much older man, calling on Israel to put away their foreign gods and get back to the Lord’s ways. Samuel’s absence as Israel turned to false gods following their defeat in chapters 4 to 6 presents a significant gap that drives the reader’s curiosity to read or investigate the text further.

The body of knowledge is all the information, documentation, theory, and concepts that already exist in an area of study. Adding to existing knowledge entails using a different approach to address the problem. In the Bible, Jesus adds to the existing knowledge by challenging the norm. For instance, in Mark 2:27-28, Jesus gets into conflict with the teachers of the law for allowing His disciples to pluck grain on the Sabbath. However, Jesus responds by saying that “the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (RSV). He challenges the law that on the Sabbath, people cannot do good such as heal others, and brings on a new understanding that Yahweh is still the God of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28, RSV).