Lesson 9 | Combining Summaries
Lesson Objectives
As a detective sifts out unnecessary details, he zeros in on the primary framework of facts he will use to draw his final conclusion—he is near to closing the case.
Sift the details!
It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people, that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact—of absolute undeniable fact—from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns.
—Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, “The Adventure of the Silver Blaze,“ emphasis added.
As our good friend Sherlock Holmes describes above, there comes a point at which new evidence is not needed. What remains is for the detective to sift through the details and divide that which is pertinent from that which is not. Overwhelming amounts of detail can flood the vision and lead the detective off on rabbit trails. Only the most skilled will possess the mental discipline to forcefully lay aside the insignificant in order to make the primary connections that will close the case.
At this point in the Bible student’s study of a passage, his thought process takes the same shape as that of a detective. He is aiming at a conclusion—a succinct main point summary made up of one or two sentences that captures the core meaning of the entire passage. But how does he arrive? It will be impossible if he tries to smash every detail of the passage into the main point. No, he must sift out detail after detail—subordinate clauses, side points, and even important theological truths—to hone in on the chief burden of the author. He must exercise the mental discipline of a detective, combining sub-point summary to sub-point summary until he can confidently declare, “Case closed!”
Specific Goals
- Learn how to combine sub-point summaries in order to:
- Move toward a main-point summary.
- Build a bracket at broader levels.
- Verify the relationships of a bracket, avoiding the kitchen sink fallacy.