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Helping Schoolchildren Learn to Follow a Book’s Argument

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This year, I have the honor of teaching a course on logic for our local homeschool co-op. Learning logic is a great opportunity for studying the Bible, and studying the Bible is a great opportunity for learning logic. So with my twenty 7th-12th graders, a part of every class period is spent working our way through the book of Hebrews.

I chose Hebrews because it marks with explicit clarity its theses and transitions. (If you’re not sure what I mean, check out my interpretive overview of the book.) So even a group of schoolchildren can spot the chief arguments with much confidence.

In this venue, we are not doing a thorough Bible study. We’re not observing everything that could be observed, and I’m not teaching them to look for literary devices. We’re not spending much time on asking or answering interpretive questions. We’re not looking up the Old Testament quotes in their original context. And we’re not (yet) spending much time in application.

Our goal is simply to identify the skeletal structure of the book’s arguments. This requires careful observation of the grammar, sentence structure, and transitional words and phrases. We want to nail down conclusions and premises, and that’s about it. But even that is helping these kids realize that they are not too young for incredibly satisfying and God-delighting Bible study.

On week 1, we spent about 5 minutes looking at Heb 1:1-3. I asked the students to use their knowledge of grammar to identify the run-on sentence’s main clause. Easy peasy: “God [formerly] spoke by the prophets, but [now] he has spoken by his Son.” Clearly, the weight of the sentence falls on the second half: “God has spoken by his Son.” In no time at all, we had a thesis statement for the entire book.

Photo by beytlik

The following week, we worked through the next few verses of chapter 1 to grasp the first argument in support of the main thesis.

  • Conclusion: The Son is superior to the angels (Heb 1:4).
  • Premises in support of this conclusion:
    • The Son’s name is superior to that of the angels – Heb 1:4b
    • God calls the Son (and not the angels) “Son” – Heb 1:5
    • Angels worship the Son; the Son does not worship angels – Heb 1:6
    • Angels serve the Son; the Son does not serve angels – Heb 1:7
    • And so on.

For homework, I asked them to complete the list by figuring out the remaining premises in the rest of chapter 1.

Now, we could spend much more time here. We could look up the OT quotes to make sure we’re getting the nuances right (that Psalm 2 reference in Heb 1:5 is about far more than just the title “Son”!). We could spend more time on historical background and first-century Jewish beliefs (why is it such a big deal, after all, to prove that the Son is superior to angels?). A more precise and thorough Bible study would require such work. But since, with this class, I’m seeking only to develop the skill of following an argument, what we have here is a great start.

How are you doing in your ability to follow a book’s argument?

How Delightful to Study the Bible with Middle Schoolers

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At my church, I have been teaching Sunday school for the middle schoolers (ages 10-13) so far this academic year. Now I am not the world’s most creative teacher, and there are many others in our church who do a better job with activities, puzzles, and other creative ways to keep the kids engaged. But I have really enjoyed simply doing Bible study with these young people.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

We don’t use a snazzy curriculum. I just ask everyone to bring their Bibles so we can teach them how to use them. We have been studying the book of Job together. While we haven’t covered every chapter, we have made sure to cover every major section and phase of the book’s argument.

A few weeks in chapters 1 and 2 set the stage. Then we dwelt on Job’s private lament in chapter 3 before launching into the arguments with his three friends. That’s where we didn’t cover every passage, but I made sure to select certain chapters to study instead of giving them a generalized, disembodied summary of what I thought was taking place. As we read select speeches of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Job, the kids had to wrestle through a number of issues: What is the primary conclusion of this speech? How does the speaker support his argument? What is he saying that is more specific than “you are are suffering because you have sinned,” or “No, I haven’t”? Is this speaker right or wrong? Partially right and partially wrong? How so?

The goal has always been to wrestle with the text itself, giving them the skills they need to read the Bible’s poetry.

My favorite class so far had to be the one on chapter 28, which is probably the most important chapter in the book. I told them of its importance, and they knew we had already reached the end of the first set of debates with friends. But I didn’t give them any hints about the message of chapter 28. So we read it out loud, one stanza at a time, and I just asked them “What is he saying here?” I would not allow them to stare at the sky and tell me how they felt. I required them to stare at the text and show me specific lines and phrases that captured the text’s meaning or argument.

And they did it. They really did it!

With only a few questions from me, they were able to nail down the train of thought: Humanity can dig out of the earth treasures (Job 28:1-6) of which the animals are oblivious (Job 28:7-11). But the treasure of wisdom (Job 28:12) cannot be dug up from the earth (Job 28:13), dived for in the ocean (Job 28:14), bought with money (Job 28:15-16), or traded for jewels (Job 28:17-19). You can’t find it among the living (Job 28:20-21), nor will you find it in the realm of the dead (Job 28:22). God alone knows the way to it (Job 28:23-27) and grants it to those who fear him and turn away from evil (Job 28:28). The kids came up with all of these ideas; I just helped them to put them in words they could remember.

We then discussed what this poem has to do with the rest of the book to this point, drawing connections to the description of Job in chapter 1 as one who feared God and turned away from evil. We spoke of how Jesus shows us such wisdom, and we discussed applications for our own search for wisdom, especially when life falls apart on us.

In short, we had a fabulous study. Believe it or not, 10-to-13-year-old kids can learn how to do really great Bible study, even in strange parts of the Old Testament.

How Adults Benefit from Teaching Children

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Will Anderson believes that adults have as much to gain from teaching the Bible to children as the children do. And I believe he is correct.

Sometimes we assume our maturity has outgrown whatever simple truths kids can grasp (I don’t need this). Other times we’re so consumed with contextualizing the message, we neglect to teach ourselves (I really want the kids to get this). Because we’re better resourced than ever before—with quality Bible curriculum that provides main points, creative elements, and application—our urgency to personally encounter the passage wanes. But teaching kids the Bible can be as beneficial to our souls as it is to theirs.

He offers 5 ways God transforms us when we teach children:

  1. Teaching kids helps us rehearse the Bible’s story.
  2. Teaching kids helps us simplify what we overcomplicate.
  3. Teaching kids reunites theology and creativity.
  4. Teaching kids humbles us.
  5. Teaching kids produces joy.

Check it out!

Leaving a Legacy of Bible Reading

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Sarah Humphrey has a lovely piece on developing a culture of Bible reading within the home that will stay with our children when they move on.

As we lead children into the Word, the best way for them to actually become interested is by seeing us already invested. I can tell my kids to practice the piano all day long, but it’s when I sit down at the bench to play that they come and sit with me. I can encourage them to make their own toast each morning, but it’s when I show them how, that they feel empowered to make their own breakfast. Teaching the Bible is no different. It comes with the patience, explanation, and the beauty of storytelling that will engage and interest them by showing them the worth of what is inside.

Check it out!

Unfolding Grace For Kids: A Young Person’s First Readers Bible

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The last 7 years have seen a praiseworthy trend in Bible publishing, and Crossway’s ESV has been at the cutting edge of it. That trend is the publication of editions of the Bible intentionally designed to encourage Bible reading. Reading not of the verse-of-the-day kind, but of the lose-track-of-the-time-on-a-lazy-afternoon kind.

That trend’s cutting edge, on which Crossway regularly seems to take up residence, has now cast its shadow into the realm of children’s Bibles. I like what I’ve seen so far, and I hope there’s no going back.

Unfolding Grace

In particular, Unfolding Grace For Kids introduces children aged 8-12 to the concept of a reader’s Bible through 40 guided readings. This is not a complete Bible, but more of a devotional work. And the sort of devotional work where more than 95% of the words were inspired by the Holy Spirit himself.

Each reading consists of a thematic graphic, a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, and a sturdy portion of Scripture (around 20-40 verses long). The graphics are both attractive and thoughtful, but the truly beautiful thing is that the introductions are introductory. The purpose all throughout is to tell the entire story of Scripture, so each introduction tends to summarize where we are in the grand narrative and set the scene for the Scripture about to be read.

The Scripture passages are thereby given the greatest focus. They take up the most space. They are presented with a marvelous cleanness, without footnotes, section headings, or chapter and verse numbers, and with sizable margins. The font used for the Scripture is even more lovely and readable than the font used for the introductions, offering a visible reinforcement of what this Bible wants the reader to care about the most.

Physically, this volume is a delight to read. Unless I’m mistaken, the paper appears even thicker than that used in the six-volume reader’s ESV. The cover and binding show remarkable sturdiness. The dust jacket is not overstuffed with fluff text. And for some reason, I failed to notice the ribbon bookmark until I was partway in. Advertising blurbs for this book focus on the “journey through 40 guided readings,” making it sound primarily like a personal devotional. Upon accessing the ribbon bookmark, I finally realized that what I was actually in possession of (thanks to Crossway for the review copy) was really a junior-grade reader’s Bible.

Not Perfect

I will not hide the fact that I love Unfolding Grace For Kids, but it still leaves room for improvement. Though the introductions are brief, they still seem wordy and unclear at times. Sometimes the graphic is misleading (for example, a graphic of a rope hanging from a window when the following Joshua text says nothing about Rahab; or a graphic of Stephen being stoned associated with a selection from Acts 5 where Ananias is struck dead and the apostles are put in jail).

And the selection of particular Scripture readings is often puzzling. For example, when helping young people to discover “how Jesus is the promised Savior who came to restore his people and renew the world,” would you direct their attention to Abraham and Isaac calling their wives their sisters (Gen 12, 26)? Or would you highlight the kidnapping of dancing girls at Shiloh just to get the narrative declaration that Israel had no king (Judges 21)? Or would you include Ananias and Sapphira, Paul’s first full sermon in the book of Acts, and Jesus’ communiques through John to the churches of Ephesus and Smyrna—while excluding the near-sacrifice of Isaac, Joseph’s rescue of the world from famine, Gideon’s conquest of Midian, Daniel’s deliverance from lions, Elijah’s showdown on Mount Carmel, and the entire body of the Bible’s wisdom literature, including the Psalms?

Many of the Scripture selections make sense. But others are not quite what I would have chosen to give kids the clearest sense of the Bible’s larger view of Jesus’ salvation and restoration of the world.

Conclusion

With that said, I am simply delighted to hand this thing over to my children, now that I’m finished with my copy of it. This is the sort of book that will remind them that reading the Bible is supposed to be fun, without having to be juvenile. This is the sort of book that, by curating 40 of the most important and most connected passages of Scripture, sets them up to read God’s word as it was meant to be read and with great joy. I eagerly commend it to you and your kids.

Find it at Crossway and Amazon.

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click them and buy stuff, this blog will receive a small commission at no extra cost to yourself, thereby making you a channel of God’s continually unfolding grace.

Jen Wilkin on Improving Bible Literacy

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I appreciate this interview with Jen Wilkin on how to improve Bible literacy in our churches and why it is so critical that we do so.

Wilkin describes how she gained a vision for learning from the Bible herself instead of getting drowned in waves of opinions from others. Then she challenges us all to consider how to better train our own children in our families and churches:

Wilkin flatly rejects the notion that deep knowledge of Scripture is best left to adults and “experts.” “A child who is capable of reading is capable of reading the Bible,” she insists. “Children need early exposure to the Scriptures because they need to see them as a familiar friend. Reading the Scriptures to them—and then, of course, having them read them themselves—are all formative practices. Sometimes we think children should only read (the Bible) if they can understand everything they’re reading,” she says, but “we underestimate their ability.”

This is why Wilkin advocates for young students doing adult-type Bible study. “If high schoolers are capable of doing calculus and physics, they absolutely are capable of grappling with a line-by-line study of the Bible.”

The full article gives many more details on Wilkin’s background and vision for training others to study the Bible. Check it out!

Training Young People to Feed Themselves

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I was recently invited to be the guest on the Theological Ministry Podcast, to discuss how we, as parents or teachers, can train our children and students to study the Bible for themselves. I really enjoyed the conversation with hosts Ben and Tony and thought you might enjoy listening in. The episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud.

Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

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Child-twoI’ve stated elsewhere that we can teach OIA Bible study to anyone of any age.  It’s great to start ’em young.

Two-year-old children are terrific, not terrible.  They’re learning so much so quickly, and they’re ready to feast on the bread of life.  Jesus wants them with him (Matt 19:13-15), so let’s not get in the way.

How can you take advantage of this time of life?  I won’t give a comprehensive manual for parenting, but I hope to help you inspire these little ones to treasure God’s Knowable Word and learn to study it.

1.  Read Scripture

Believe it or not, Bible study involves the Bible.  God’s Word reveals his heart (2 Pet 1:21) and pierces ours (Heb 4:12).  It shapes us for glory (2 Tim 3:16-17).  And it wasn’t written just for adults (Eph 6:1-3, Col 3:20).

But sometimes we give our children a diet of caffeine-free, low-fat story book Bibles, and we neglect the nutritious, life-giving, spiritually fattening, satisfactorily scrumptious, obedience-empowering, grace-delighting Word of God.

Children’s Bibles are just great.  I like this one for two-year-olds (although sometimes it can use a stronger connection to the gospel).  But children’s story Bibles are supplements.  Not the meal.

Read the Bible regularly with your child or Sunday school class.

2.  Focus on observation

Young children notice much more than we think they do.  Just look at how much they imitate us.

While preaching a sermon last Sunday, I saw my two-year-old daughter copying my hand motions.  The accuracy of her gestures threatened my composure and confirmed my suspicions.  She catches far more than she lets on, and I’m in a position to hone her fledgling prowess.

Read just a few verses, and expect the children to notice stuff.  Ask them about what they heard and have them repeat the key details.  Then read a few more verses and repeat the process.

3.  Ask basic questions

It seems obvious, but it’s easy to neglect, especially if older children are also present.  I find myself often assuming the youngest child is “still a baby,” and I speak exclusively to the older children.  But the youngest needs practice, too.  “How many men did Jesus heal?”  “Why did he heal them?  Because they were _____ [sick].”  “How many came back to thank him [hold up one finger]?”

4.  Take advantage of the “Why” phase

By the time they reach 3 years of age, many children learn how to ask “why” and never turn back.  They ask it all the time.  Don’t be annoyed by it.  In fact, you can beat them to it.

“Why did Jesus die?  So we could have ______ [life].”  “Why do we need Jesus?  Because our hearts are ______ [sick].”

5.  Ask leading questions

It’s okay if your questions have obvious answers.  The repetition over time is more important than unique insight on the child’s part.  Young children excel at memorization, and asking the same questions over and over builds their foundation.

In our house, the mantra is: “How does God want you to obey?”  Answer: right away, all the way, and with a cheerful heart.

That’s followed by: “And why did Jesus die?”  Answer: so we could have life.

Every Bible study connects in some way to these two questions.

When it comes to training my children, I don’t want to be original.  I want to be useful.

6.  Give them Jesus

They need Jesus more than anything – more than Bible knowledge, more than life lessons, and more than good behavior.  Even at age two, children can learn that “Jesus” is usually the right answer to any question.

Question: What other ideas do you have?  What resources have you found helpful?

(Disclosure: the link above is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, you’ll help to support our site!)

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Reflections Upon Reading the Entire Bible Aloud to My Kids

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Just a few days ago, we hit a major milestone for our family: We completed reading the entire Bible aloud. I promised my daughter, on her 6th birthday, that we would do this by her 18th birthday. And it took much less time than I expected: A few months from now, she will turn 11. We have plenty of time to do it again.

You can read more about why and how we did this in two previous posts (here and here). But here is a summary:

  • Once per week, we spent 45-60 minutes reading out loud. We would occasionally stop for questions, but mostly just kept reading.
  • The children were not required to sit still and listen. They could do anything they wanted during the time, as long as 1) it didn’t involve anything noisy or electronic, and 2) it didn’t require them to leave the living room. Matchbox cars, legos, board game bits, comic books, chess sets, sketch pads, and art supplies all got liberal use during family Bible reading time.
  • Bible reading was followed immediately by dinner together, when we might discuss some portion of the text we read. Then we were off to evening activities.
  • We would miss 5-10 weeks per year on account of traveling or extraordinary activities. But we made a habit of treating Sunday afternoon Bible reading time as nonnegotiable.
  • I began reading the ESV, but I switched to the CSB somewhere late in the Pentateuch or early in the OT historical books.
  • I read the OT in canonical order. I read the NT according to four tracks. The children took turns selecting a gospel, and then I would read that gospel and all additional NT books associated with it. Then the next child would choose another gospel, and so on. We had fun offering the fourth child a “choice” between Mark and Mark.
Jan Rowley, Creative Commons

What’s Next?

We’re going to take a break from sustained reading aloud. For at least the next year, I plan to repurpose the time to teach the children an overview of each book of the Bible. We’ll cover a book each week, and I want to provide them with notes on the author, audience, occasion, structure, and main point of each book.

I trust this series of overviews will give them something they can refer to as their own Bible study matures. And it will give us some much-needed variety in our family routine.

But once we get through all of the books, I expect to go back to extended reading time. I think I’ll mix it up by using a chronological reading order.

How Did it Go?

I believe these 5 years of extended Bible reading have been great for our family. They have opened a multitude of discussion topics, as we sought to process whatever biblical material was before us. This led us naturally into conversations about love and romance, suffering and persecution, evil and judgment, morality and theology, church and family life.

I couldn’t make a systematic curriculum out of the topics that came up in discussion, but I can’t overstate the value of having our topics for conversation be driven by whatever questions the kids had about what we were reading. Instead of me asking them all the questions—as used to be the case in our prior family devotions—they were asking me questions. Sometimes, I would ask a few comprehension questions to make sure they could follow what was happening in the text. But normally, if they didn’t have any questions, we would simply continue forward.

Final Reflections

Here are some thoughts, now that I’ve completed the experience:

  1. Find whatever motivates you to get your children simmering in the Scriptures. For years, I tried doing daily family devotions, with a published guide and everything. And if that works for you, do it. But it didn’t work for us. I was never excited about reading only a few verses at a time, and then asking a series of questions provided by someone who had never met my children. And with my motivation low, it was very difficult to build a disciplined habit. But once we started simply reading for lengthy stretches, I couldn’t wait for it to come each week.
  2. Don’t underestimate what your children can handle. My oldest (twins) are now 13, and my youngest is 3. All six children participated in family Bible reading time. And all, I believe, have come to enjoy it and benefit from it. (As I’ve mentioned before, though, I don’t mean to paint too homely and rosy of a picture. I’m sure almost all of them would select playtime at a friend’s house, or a movie night, instead of family Bible reading if given the choice.) Because I respect them enough to hear and respond to all Scripture (including lists of names, lengthy prophetic poems, codes of ritual instructions, and narratives of unsavory behavior), they have grown in their own respect for Scripture and for its relevance to what they face in life.
  3. While daily dipping has a place, so does periodic immersion. Though we haven’t had daily family devotions, we still train our children to spend personal time in the Scripture every day. Many of them prefer to listen to an audio Bible while doing chores or drawing picture; a few prefer to read the Bible with their own eyes. Whatever the format, these daily dips into Scripture are shaping their loves and their thinking. And our weekly, hour-long reading sessions have taken their exposure to the Lord’s Word to a whole new level. Those lengthier immersions have done much to make us feel like this is our story. These are our people. This is our God and our Messiah, and we are his flock.

To be clear: I’m not trying to persuade you to do what we have done. I just know the guilt and demotivation I felt from the expectation for family Bible instruction to take a certain shape. I was delighted to discover a creative alternative. Perhaps you’ll discover something else entirely that works best for your family.

Do whatever it takes to be in the Word with your kids. If you don’t, someone or something else will fill the gap and captivate their hearts.

And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. 

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods… And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies… And they were in terrible distress.

Judges 2:10-15

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways! 
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; 
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine 
within your house; 
your children will be like olive shoots 
around your table. 
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed 
who fears the Lord. 

The Lord bless you from Zion! 
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem 
all the days of your life! 
May you see your children’s children! 
Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 128:1-6

Do You Handle the Word Rightly When You Teach Children?

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“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

We think of pastors needing to handle the word of truth rightly. We think of seminary professors and Sunday school teachers needing to handle the word of truth rightly. But do we think of parents, or anyone else who teaches children, as needing to handle the word of truth rightly?

Alison Mitchell thinks so. In a fabulous article at GoThereFor.com, she argues that 2 Tim 2:15 applies to all Bible teachers, including those who would teach children. Including those who teach children Bible stories. Including those who read storybook Bibles to children.

To help you obey this command, Mitchell offers 6 suggestions:

  1. Always start with the text.
  2. Be cautious about addition.
  3. Be thoughtful about subtraction.
  4. Build your application from the main teaching point.
  5. Choose supportive visuals and activities.
  6. Be careful with published material.

Her counsel pierces, soothes, and motivates God-honoring excellence. All throughout, she encourages us to make sure our teaching materials focus on the main point of our biblical text, and not merely on a creative re-telling of the plot. The main points are the main points, and must be communicated as such. Here is a taste of Mitchell’s counsel:

“When considering an addition to the story, ask yourself whether it supports or detracts from the main point, and whether it is really necessary. Children won’t know what has been added and what hasn’t; they simply accept the story as they hear it. If they find out later that only some of what they heard came from Scripture, they may also end up questioning the rest of what they were taught. This means I tend to add very little.”

And another:

“So check re-told Bible stories carefully. The authors of children’s story books are usually gifted, creative storytellers. There’s a lot we can learn from their gifts. But, in my experience, creative storytellers often add to Bible accounts. So check carefully, comparing their version with the Bible text. If there are only a few small changes or additions, you may be able to adapt the story and use it successfully. But if you find that too much has changed, you’ll need to tell the story yourself or find a more accurate story book.”

The “checking” she suggests extends even to the illustrations. For example, if an illustration of Daniel in the lions’ den portrays Daniel as a young man, it is not being faithful to the text.

There is much food for thought here, which is well worth your time.

Check it out!