Christian Academic Writing
Twelve Practices and Principles for Becoming a Successful Writer
About
The journey of writing and publishing includes obstacles such as writer's block, fear of rejection, getting overwhelmed by information, feeling inadequate, and not finding enough time. How is it that some are able to consistently produce work while others struggle to cross the finish line?
This concise guide to writing in Christian academic settings offers twelve practices and principles for becoming a successful writer. It is written by two authors with a proven track record of publishing success who have a passion for helping students and budding authors improve their writing. This book distills their years of experience to offer inspiration and encouragement for writing and publishing academic works. It is ideal for students writing papers in Christian academic settings and for young academics who want to further develop their writing skills.
Christian Academic Writing is full of helpful and proven advice that will motivate readers to reach their goals. It focuses on best practices and emphasizes the finished product. Each short, readable chapter includes questions inviting readers to take their writing to the next level.
1. Love Your Topics
2. Keep Reading Material with You
3. Redeem Time for Reading and Writing
4. Bust Your Writing-Related Myths
5. Don't Wait to Write
6. Make Writing a Habit
7. Keep Writing, Even after the First Draft
8. Solicit Feedback
9. Don't Be Afraid of Feedback
10. Participate in Professional Conferences
11. Work to Improve Your Writing
12. Finish What You Start
Appendix A: Academic Religious Publishers
Appendix B: Academic Journals
Appendix C: Religious Academic Organizations
Indexes
Endorsements
"The difference between a good writer and a great writer is that great writers deliberately seek to improve their writing skills. In this book, Merkle and Miles show you how to write with diligence and discipline, how to make your words work for you, and how to develop your own voice and vision for writing. Merkle and Miles offer terrific tips and techniques that aspiring and accomplished writers will return to time and time again."
Michael F. Bird, deputy principal, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
"Christian Academic Writing is both practical and inspiring. Merkle and Miles not only offer their own invaluable experience as academic writers, but they also point to some of the best resources available for all writers. I will recommend this book often."
Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis
"This is an excellent and valuable book. I wish it had been available forty years ago! It is clear, practical, and encouraging. It is also brutally honest. Writing can be a labor of love, but it can also be a task filled with overwhelming disappointments. My colleagues and friends Ben Merkle and Adrianne Miles address these realities, but they also provide a strategy to keep you in the game of writing. Scholar and student alike will be well served by this work. I know I was."
Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Writers of all levels will find help in this book. It is clear, personal, and even enjoyable. More than that, it is wise, filled with guidance for those trying to get started, hope for those who feel stuck, and ideas for those who have published for decades."
Chris Morgan, dean, School of Christian Ministries, professor of theology, California Baptist University
"There are lots of reasons why biblical scholars and theologians want to write but don't. I can't promise that this book is going to overcome all of them, but I can tell you that it is doing some serious damage to the excuses I've given myself in recent years. If you're new to the professoriate and wondering how you'll stay in the writing groove you inhabited during graduate school, or you've been a teacher or administrator or in another professional role for a while and have lost the momentum but not the desire, this is the book for you. Plenty of encouragement, plenty of advice, plenty of wisdom. Thank you, Ben and Adrianne!"
Michael Kibbe, associate professor of Bible, Great Northern University
The Authors
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Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Benjamin L. Merkle
Benjamin L. Merkle (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Dr. M. O. Owens Jr. Chair of New Testament Studies and research professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North...
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Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Adrianne Cheek Miles
Adrianne Cheek Miles (1971-2024; PhD, University of Texas at Austin) was associate professor of English and linguistics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she taught courses in writing, literature, communication, and linguistics.
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