The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem
Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 5:05 pm
I'm Wist. I want to promote Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) as a way to combat Biblical Illiteracy. bsfinternational.org
I was raised in church ... a good church, and I'm actively involved in church now. However, I have never learned more in any class than I have in BSF. It's college level, but not difficult to do. It's interdenominational, meaning that it includes all denominations. There are classes all over the world. The website can help you find one near you.
The class itself last two hours once a week. Meeting times vary. Children are welcome, though they must come with an enrolling adult. They can't be dropped off and left. We meet for a brief opening, and then split up according to age.
Adults go to discussion groups. There, we go over the discussion page. That's a two page homework sheet divided into daily questions. It's not very hard, and you can skip any questions you want. No one else sees your paper, and no one is grading. People are not supposed to use commentaries until after they have completed their lesson. It's pure Bible study, not see what someone else says study. Then we go to a lecture. It's similar to a sermon, but you have already put in some study at home and talked about with others. It's interesting. It provides a deeper insight into what you just studied. Then as you leave, you get notes (a commentary on the lesson) and next week's lesson. My favorite part is the lesson at home. I am able to see things I didn't think I could before.
School aged people go to age appropriate classes. They also go over their discussion pages, and they have a Bible lesson that is similar to the adult lecture, though it's much shorter. They have activities that help them study the Bible for themselves and learn more about the passage of the week. Then they spend about 15 minutes studying doctrine. BTW, I teach in the children's program ... grades 3 and 4.
Right now we are studying Revelation. It lasts the whole year. It's not too late to join. Next school year, we will study John. 30 weeks on John. By the end, you will really KNOW the book of John, and more.
With Love in Christ,
Wist