Now that we have a strong base of clear and poignant summaries (each covering 2–8 propositions), it’s time to stack some weight on that base.
The Castell
This is a castell—a human tower—part of a competition in Spain, in which the “castellers” work as a team to build the highest stable tower, built layer upon layer and culminating in the crown at the top made by the canalla (i.e. a young child). Successfully placing the crown at the top is the main point of the castell.
So it is in a written text. In each unit, the author will typically have one primary proposition that all the other details support. But not all the details will support that proposition directly. There may be two or more layers of supporting statements, some bearing more weight than others. An important task in your study will be to increasingly sift out these layers of support through summary combining, to carry that which is most primary all the way to the main point of the entire passage. Thus, your broad-level sub-point summaries will increasingly be distilled down like the upper parts of the castell.
Principles for Combining Sub-Point Summaries
Here are a few tips for sifting out details as you combine two pieces together.
Remove supporting propositions.
If two summaries both contain supporting statements, remove them and combine the primary propositions together.
Summary 1: “I love the Lord because he heard me,”
Summary 2: “Because he heard me, I will keep calling on him.”
Combined: “I love the Lord and will keep calling on him.”
—Psalm 116:1–2
Make one of the primary propositions an appropriate supporting proposition.
In the previous example, we combined coordinate pieces. When you are combining pieces that are joined together with subordination, reflect that logic and do not flatten it.
Summary 1: “You didn’t require sacrifice, but you have opened my ear.”
Summary 2: “Then I said, I come willing to do what you want.”
Combined: “You opened my ear, causing me to come to you willingly.”
—Psalm 40:6–8
If multiple sub-points express variations of the same truth, merge their shared essence.
Often, the Bible colors its main points with repetition, synonyms, parallelism, and explanation. In your summaries, merge the parallel ideas into a statement that captures the essence of the whole.
Summary 1: “Let the wise display the meekness of wisdom in his conduct.”
Summary 2: “Don’t boast in your demonic wisdom if there is jealousy and selfish ambition in you.”
Combined: “Display wisdom by meek conduct, not by boasting to cover selfishness.”
—James 3:13–15
Hone in with clarity on core theological truths.
Avoid overgeneralization. Don’t smooth out key theological contours for the sake of brevity. Compression should not blur things.
Summary 1: “Since Abe believed God could fulfill his promise, his faith got him righteousness.”
Summary 2: “But those words don’t refer just to him, but also to us who believe in the Jesus-resurrecting God.”
Combined: “Abe’s faith got him righteousness; so too with us who believe in the Jesus-resurrecting God.”
—Romans 4:20–25