Intriguing cover for this week's TIME magazine: "Why we
should teach the Bible in public schools." According to the
article, more and more folks are beginning to think that our lack
of attention to the Bible in our SECULAR life is a problem. It
even cites Warren County's most famous jurist on the subject - in
a 1948 Supreme Court decision, Justice Robert Jackson wrote, "One
can hardly respect the system of education that would leave the
student wholly ignorant of the currents of religious thought that
move the world society for...which he is being prepared."
Jackson warned that putting all references to God off limits
would leave public education "in shreds."(1)
It could legitimately be argued that Justice Jackson's
warning should have been taken more seriously. The court
decisions of recent years have made folks leery of any religious
references in the public square and particularly so in the public
schools, and that has led to a culture-wide illiteracy about this
book that has had more influence on the history of the world than
any other.
So, should the Bible be taught in the public schools? I say
YES. But I also say that the Qu'ran should be taught as well as
the sacred writings of all the major world religions. This would
not be a merely intellectual exercise but, in light of events
like September 11, or social controversies like teaching
creationism in public schools or gay marriage or stem cell
research, this could help folks answer why certain people think
and behave the way they do.
I would also insist, though, that the public schools are NOT
the place for the Bible to be taught devotionally. That is the
job of the church or the synagogue, not the government, and
frankly, I would not be comfortable with an "amateur" doing the
teaching anyway.
So now we find ourselves in church and hear our lesson say,
"I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Nice
thought, but I wonder. Most church people would agree that "not
neglecting your word" is important, but most people would also
admit that they do not do it. Strange. Even though the Bible
remains the best-selling book of all time, and, according to the
article, is the number one best-seller year after year after
year, even though most every home has at least one copy, even
though people confess it as the actual word of God, folks rarely
(if ever) really study what it has to say, public schools or not.
Do YOU want to do better? All right. Let me offer some
advice this morning to those of you who know you need to study
scripture, who are willing to give it a try, and who would
appreciate some direction for the task.
First, some preliminaries. Anyone about to do a job must
have proper tools. For good Bible study, you obviously need a
good Bible - I presume you have one. There are a number of
translations available and all can be studied profitably. The
most accurate literal English translation is the New Revised
Standard Version (the NRSV) which was published almost 20 years
ago.(2) There are several other recent translations which are also
quite good for those who get bogged down and discouraged by
archaic language; for example, the New International Version(3)
which we use in our pews. There are also some excellent
paraphrases of scripture, the most recent of which is another
which I use, Eugene Peterson's The Message.(4) These can help
scripture come alive for you, especially if archaic language has
been a stumbling block.
Several publishers have produced Bibles specifically
designed for study. Along with the Biblical text are extensive
notes and comments to provide background information. The best
of these, in my estimation, is the Oxford Annotated Bible(5) (which
is the one I use) - it reflects the most up-to-date scholarship
and avoids taking dogmatic doctrinal positions. Another good one
designed for study-by-discussion is called the Serendipity Bible
for Groups(6) - it uses modern translations and surrounds the text
with questions to encourage reflection. Those are a couple of
choices.
The next thing to have is a pen or a pencil. If you are
going to really STUDY the Bible, you need to make notes. Make
them in the margins or use a notebook. One writer has said, "The
Bible study that is done in one's head is very apt to get out of
one's head..."(7) Do not take that chance. Write things down.
It would also be helpful to have certain resource materials
if they are available to you: a concordance which alphabetically
lists each word in scripture along with all the texts where that
word might be found; a Bible dictionary to provide background on
subjects, people, and places; a Bible atlas to help you locate
the settings of various passages. As I say, these are helpful,
but not critical - if you do not have them, you will still be
able to study and learn. However, these ARE all available to you
(you have them in your church library - make as much use of them
as you would care to). Of course, birthdays and Christmas are
coming, and if someone asks you what you want, now you have some
suggestions.
Now that the resources are all in place, the next step is a
decision concerning how to proceed. Study cannot be haphazard.
I remember as a youngster being challenged by one of my
neighborhood friends about the uselessness of Bible reading. To
prove her point, she opened a Bible at random and began to read.
Of course, she had begun right in the middle of a passage which,
needless to say, made no sense because she had not begun at the
beginning. No other book could be read that way either. You
cannot simply set your Bible on its spine, let it fall open
anywhere, begin reading, and hope to get much out of it. You
need a plan.
If you like, use a daily devotional. That will assign a
passage and then offer a comment on it (for example, These Days
or The Upper Room or any number of books from the church library
or a Christian bookstore).
If you care to, use a Scripture Reading plan designed to
take you all the way through the Bible within a certain time
(there are one-year plans, three-year plans, and so on).
However, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew - if
the reading plan involves too much, you might get discouraged and
stop. As has been said, "The important thing is not how many
times you have gone through the Bible, but whether or not the
Bible has gone through you."(8)
My own preference for study is to do it a book at a time.
That method offers the continuity of a reading plan while not
forcing you to try to digest more material than you have appetite
for. If you choose to do it that way, I would also suggest the
additional resource of a good commentary or two (which would also
be available in the church library or a Christian bookstore).
The caveat I would offer concerning this type of study is that,
if you are new at this, you not choose a book that is
particularly long or difficult; choose one of the gospels or
Genesis or an epistle like I John.
Once you choose your method of study, it is time to get to
it. You will find it best to set aside a certain time each day
when you will do your work. Some will prefer early morning, some
at the end of the day. The point is CHOOSE A TIME and then stick
to it. The accomplishment of any worthwhile task requires
discipline and Bible study is no exception.
Once that is done and you are ready to go to work, the next
step is prayer. After all, the reason we study the Bible is that
it is GOD'S WORD, so it is appropriate to ask God's help in
understanding it. As you prepare to read, ask for guidance - ask
that your mind will be clear and that your spirit will be open to
the message to be found. D. L. Moody once said, "The Bible
without the Holy Spirit is a sundail by moonlight."
Next, read the passage you have selected. Then read it
again...and again...and again. Read it aloud if you like - that
will offer a more focused concentration. But be a READER first,
then a studier. Go about the process SLOWLY! The butterfly
covers more ground than the bee, but the bee gathers more honey.
Once you have sufficiently read the passage, THINK about it.
As one old book in my library has it, "The reason why so many get
so little out of their Bible reading is simply because they are
not willing to think. Intellectual laziness lies at the bottom
of a large percent of fruitless Bible reading...One pound of beef
well chewed and digested and assimilated, will give more strength
than tons of beef merely glanced at; and one verse of Scripture
chewed and digested and assimilated, will give more strength than
whole chapters simply skimmed."(9)
Martin Luther said he studied the Bible as one would gather
apples: "First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest might
fall. Then I climb the tree and shake each limb, and then each
branch and twig, and then I look under each leaf."
For your own shaking, climbing and looking, consider some
questions and then jot down the answers in your notebook. What
is the principal subject of this passage? Who are the
characters? What is the setting? What is the main lesson of the
passage? Which is the best (or most meaningful) verse?
Turn again to our lesson from Psalm 119 (9-16) to see the
process. What is the subject? The study of God's law. Who are
the characters? The psalmist and God. What is the setting?
Probably a private place of meditation and prayer. What is the
main lesson of the passage? The importance of knowing God's
requirements for the conduct of a righteous life. Which is the
best (or most meaningful) verse? Well, the best-KNOWN is verse
11 (which we learned in the King James as we grew up): "Thy word
have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee."
There are some other questions which might also be asked.
For example, What (if anything) does the passage teach about the
Lord? Simply that God does have a standard for us and has not
left us to our own devices in trying to live lives that are
pleasing.
Reflect too on how the passage applies in your own life. Is
there, in these verses, an example for me to follow? To be sure!
The example of the Psalmist in seeking divine direction for
living and his willingness to follow the direction he learns. Is
there, in this passage, an error for me to avoid? Absolutely.
The error of neglecting God's commandments. Is there, in this
passage, a duty for me to perform? Indeed. A regular pattern of
meditation and study. Is there, in this passage, a prayer for me
to echo? "Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes."
Will every passage apply equally to everyone? Of course
not. In my first pastorate, I served a small country church with
a congregation that was seriously up in years. In fact, in the
entire church there were only a handful who had not retired - 20%
were over eighty. During my years there, I happened to preach a
series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. No problem...until I
came to number seven: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Now, I
have often heard that "just because there is snow on the roof
does not mean there is no fire in the furnace," but in this case,
there were few, if any, embers evident at all. I DID preach the
sermon - if I had skipped that one I would have never lived it
down. (Actually, several told me later that they had looked
forward to that one more than the other nine.) But that was one
message those folks did not really need to hear. The same will
be true for you in your own study.
One more issue is worthy of jotting down in your work: Are
there portions of the passage that are difficult to understand?
If so, what questions are raised for you? Our lessons this
morning are fairly clear, but there will be times when you will
run into chapters and verses that are confusing. Don't be afraid
of them - ASK. That is one of the reasons I am here.
When Daniel Webster was a youngster, he was anxious to read
and learn, so he read the only book available to him at the time,
the Bible. As he lay in bed reading the scripture by candlelight
one night, he accidentally managed to set the covers on fire. In
response to a strong scolding he explained that he was "in search
of light, but was sorry to say that he received more of it than
he desired." That problem seems to plague many who read and
study scripture. They get more light than they want. Mark Twain
said it was not the things in the Bible he did not understand
that bothered him, it was the things he DID understand.
One way to avoid becoming stuck on a difficult passage is to
study with others. Then you can hash out difficulties together.
Two heads (or 22 heads) are better than one. Study in a group
will also help you avoid incorrect interpretation. A great
teacher of preachers once advised young pastors, "If you say
something next Sunday that was never said before, the chances are
a thousand to one that what you say will not be true."(10) It is
the same with Bible study: if you come up with something in your
reflection that no one else has ever come up with in almost 2,000
years of spiritual digging, chances are you are wrong. Study in
a group will help prevent that. You might consider forming your
own with friends or neighbors - you do not need a preacher to
lead it. There are a number of helpful resources for doing it.
Profitable Bible study is not difficult if you are willing
to use good tools, to pursue a plan, to exercise some discipline,
to approach it with an open mind and heart, and to think. If you
do that, I promise, YOU WILL BE BLESSED!
Amen!
1. David Van Biema, "The Case for Teaching the Bible," TIME, 3/22/07
2. By the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 1989
3. International Bible Society, © 1973, 1978, 1984
4. NavPres, 2003
5. Oxford University Press, 1991
6. Zondervan, 1988
7. Quoted by Irving Jensen, Enjoy Your Bible, (Chicago, Moody Press, 1969), p. 40
8. ibid., p. 30
9. R. A. Torrey, How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit, (New York, Fleming H. Revell
Co., 1896), pp. 100-101
10. Clovis Chappell, Anointed to Preach, (Nashville, Abingdon, 1951), p. 80
click and send us mail