USE INTERNATIONAL UNIFORM SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSONS?
Christian Education
The Young People’s Teacher
by M ilfo rd S . Sholund
S o you want to teach the Bible to young people! If you do, you have chosen a challenging job. Young people love to study the Bi ble when they understand it and know how to apply it to their lives. Young people are more mature than children in their outlook on the Bible. They are beginning to think about the issues of life. Their reasoning powers are growing. They want some sense to Bible study. As children they were will ing to receive the facts of the Bible from the teacher. Now they want the meaning of the Biblical facts. If they can understand the Scrip tures, they will be more likely to respond to the spiritual values and especially to Jesus Christ on Whom the Bible focuses the meaning and purpose of the Scriptures. Young people like a teacher who knows what he is talking about. They want a teacher who is author itative, not authoritarian. An authoritative teacher gives sensible evidence that appeals to the alert mind of youth. Such a teacher expects the youthful mind to come to the right conclusion because he sees the truth for himself. An au thoritarian teacher is despised by youth. Such a teacher is blind to individual opinion. A teacher of adolescent youth is sunk if he in sists that what he teaches must he accepted. He might be teaching the truth but he can’t force youth to accept it. The distinction between the two types of teachers may seem very fine but the difference is extremely important in teaching the Bible. The Bible makes demands upon the souls and consciences of youth. This appeal has to satisfy their inner convictions. It cannot be imposed by outer authority. It is precisely at this point that so many pastors fail with young people in the confirma tion class.
What the minister has to teach is good and true, but the attitude that he takes in teaching it is obnoxious to inquiring youth if he insists that what he says and the way he ex presses it must be accepted. The teacher should know the Bi ble well enough to answer the es sential questions of the group. The youth teacher should have a com prehensive view of the Bible. In a recent class of youth work ers in a local church, the leader asked the members of the group if they had read through the Bible the past year. Only one of them had done that. How many had read through the Bible the past three years? Only two had accomplished that. How many had read through the Bible in the past five years? Two. How many had never read through the Bible? Eleven of the 20 indicated that they had never read completely through the Bible. Yet, they were men and women who wanted to teach the Bible to youth! It is obvious that reading the Bible takes time but let’s face it: how can a teacher expect enthusi asm for Bible reading in the youth group unless he reads the Bible? I recall a group of seven young people who came to a class in the church to study the Bible. Their average age was about 13. Their home backgrounds ranged all the way from solid, spiritual co-opera tion to indifferent carelessness. The first time they met as a class we had some interesting exper iences. They stared at me and I responded accordingly. After a brief greeting of welcome, I began tell-
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A b o u t t h e A u t h o r M ilford S. Sholund is director of Biblical and educational research at Gospel Light Press, Glendale, Calif.
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