Teaching the Bible
Knowing God's word is fundamental in understanding our faith. Helping others understand God's word is also foundational because it's how we build a solid church that positively affects society.
We surveyed adolescents and millennials regarding their perceptions on what they define as teaching the Bible, and their own Bible teaching habits. The survey received 230 responses, the majority were: female (63%), <35 years old (86%), from the United States (68%), and evangelical (73%). Full results can be seen here - Young evangelicals and teaching the Bible.
The results showed that about 27% of participants indicated they teach directly from the Bible at a pre-arranged time at least once a week. In contrast, 40% responded they never instruct others in scripture.
For those who do not teach at least once a week the most common reasons were: they do not know enough scripture (42%); do not know how to teach (but would like to learn, 37%); or might make a mistake (34%).
Interestingly, only 11% answered ‘they already teach once a week or more’ (in contrast to the 27% noted above when asked directly if they teach) indicating that there may be 16% (27% -11%) who perceive they teach when asked directly but then give reasons why they do not teach. This finding indicates some Christians might overestimate their frequency of teaching when asked directly.
For those who do teach at least once a week, their preferred method was verse by verse (32%). In addition, their favorite venue in which to instruct was a small group, in person (27%); or one-on-one in-person (19%).
These numbers may indicate, on the lower side, that if 1/3 of people who teach use the verse-by-verse method, and this represent 11% of the total evangelical population, then 4% of young evangelicals teach the Bible directly to others. More research is needed on this topic!
Participants also noted that additional potential valid informal ways to teach scripture were: writing encouraging notes or letters (62%); strengthening others verbally with scripture verses (62%); and living a godly lifestyle (71%). However, 70% agreed that verse by verse teaching had more value than informal techniques.
In general, respondents had good wellbeing (average 4.5/6.0 with 6.0 being the best). However, those who regularly trained others in the Bible (4.8/6.0) reported better wellbeing than those who taught infrequently (4.1/6.0) or did not (4.4/6.0) teach the Bible (P= 0.003).
The survey suggests that young evangelicals generally recognize the importance of verse-by-verse teaching to others and want to learn how to instruct others. Those who teach experience better wellbeing than those who do not.
Nonetheless, young evangelicals are often reticent to teach fearing they are not capable or are not able to answer questions. Further, some may overestimate how frequently they teach the Bible.
So, what is the importance of teaching?
· Problem – Unfortunately, teaching others or sharing the gospel appears to rank right below ‘going to the dentist’ among desired activities. Teleios’ research has shown that people generally fear sharing the gospel specifically report being afraid of social rejection, offending the other person, not knowing what to say, or how to answer others’ questions.
· What teaching is not – Teleios examined people’s habits in mentioning the gospel (a part of our outreach). In a well-taught Evangelical Church, attendees indicated they conveyed the gospel to others most commonly by:
- Sharing their lives – 78%
- Praying for others – 71%
- Encouraging others – 70%
- Loving others – 68%
- Explicitly mentioning how to accept Jesus Christ as Savior – 30%
Although sharing our lives is important, it does not replace actually telling someone the gospel or directly teaching the Bible. People cannot guess what we are thinking! Scripture recognizes that we do not have visual support to our faith until Christ comes again (Hebrews 2:8) so others need to hear what to believe and someone must explicitly tell them (Romans 10:14-17).
· Why should we reach out to others regarding our faith? There are at least several reasons:
- It is a command – We are told to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2,15,24-26; 1 Timothy 4:6,16; Hebrews 5:12) which involves instructing others in the Word of God. However, teaching also may include admonishing others to correct action or thinking (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:19).
- Better wellbeing – Teleios has found that people who teach and share the Gospel enjoy better wellbeing than those who do not. What initially seems fearful is actually enriching after a person has shared the Gospel or taught God’s Word.
- Good judgment – The ability to teach appears to indicate maturity which is associated with accurate and efficient judgment and avoiding nasty pitfalls in life (Hebrews 5:14).
- Maturity – Being able to teach is associated with maturity, especially the attributes of an elder/leader (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Hebrews 5:12).
- Uplifting the church – The benefit of teaching others scripture or the gospel is not just for the individual but to the church itself. Teaching the Bible and the gospel is the primary way that we can grow the church and influence our culture generally (Colossians 1:5-10). Without Christians passing down the precious words of our Father to the next generation, the church certainly can suffer from lack of support as opposed to influencing and benefiting our society.
So, let’s get to work! The truth we possess in the Bible is good for our family, friends and acquaintances as well as for our society!
Thank you for joining me today. I look for to seeing you next time.
William C. Stewart, MD
Email - info@teleiosresearch.com
Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/
Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.
No comments:
Post a Comment