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EPAPHRAS: AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER
I have started to look into Paul’s letter to the Colossians again since it is the portion of Scripture I plan to use as the theological foundation for my dissertation project. I want to highlight a prominent motif in the letter that can be overlooked too easily: teaching and understanding. It gets underway early – by the 6th verse – where Epaphras is recognized as teacher to the Colossians: “5b Of this – (the hope laid up for them in heaven) – you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you,…
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THE IMPORTANCE OF PRETESTING
This past weekend I had the opportunity to put some of my dissertation thoughts into an hourlong workshop at a youth retreat at nearby Southeastern Baptist Youth Camp. In keeping with one of the basic principles of good teaching practices, I decided to ask the teens a simple question on Friday night before my workshop on Saturday. I was planning to talk about the gospel being bigger than the typical “you’re a sinner so Jesus died for you and if you believe in Him you can go to heaven when you die” concept, and I wanted to know what the…
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ANOTHER MISSING CLASS
Here’s another class that I think should be required for every seminary student: Basic Psychology and Behavioral Science. I think a lot of burn out, stress, and conflict in the life of a pastor could be stopped in its tracks by familiarity with the realities of: The class would be an easy sell because this stuff is flat-out fascinating. Plus, it could all be incredibly useful for the “marketing” aspect of church life. There would be plenty of real-world case studies to look at and it would be fun to find examples of all the various human quirks of thought…
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A MISSING CLASS
You can bet that every seminary offers plenty of classes on preaching and Bible study, but I am not aware of any seminary which requires a class on best teaching practices. I would be curious to find out if any even offer such a class as an elective. So, if I could wave a magic wand and change the seminary experience for the next generation of pastors, a required class on pedagogy would be at the top of my list. I haven’t done in-depth analysis, but from glancing over online Bible dictionaries, the use of Greek and Hebrew words associated…
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LIKE ALGEBRA, BUT WORSE
Imagine if your high school math teacher approached algebra like the typical church approaches faith education. First of all, class would only meet once or twice a week and there would be no expectation of students doing any learning outside of class. The teacher’s sole approach would be lecture. Correct answers would be supplied for every problem – no need for students to wrestle through any sort of practice exercises. Worst of all, the teacher would skip around the math book, pulling out random, disconnected lessons from week to week. Today from chapter 7, next week a single equation from…
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OUT OF THE MIST
I thought of at least one more basic premise of good teaching since yesterday – and it is super basic, but in the pulpit it doesn’t always happen. So here it is: An effective teacher knows the material inside and out. If the teacher is confused or unsure, the students will be doubly so. It has been said that “a mist in the pulpit becomes a fog in the pew”. The best-case scenario, of course, is when the teacher is utterly fascinated by the subject matter. A preacher should be utterly impressed with the beauty, wisdom, and power of Scripture.…
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BASIC TEACHING
If at all possible, I plan to avoid using words like “pedagogy” in my dissertation and keep to a straightforward exploration of “teaching”. Because teaching doesn’t HAVE to be complicated and learning how to teach doesn’t HAVE to involve a bunch of $5 words or drawn-out explanations of esoteric philosophies. (Is “esoteric” worth at least $5?) Teaching is a skill, a science, and an art – but the basics of competent and effective teaching are not beyond the reach of any ordinary person. Off the top of my head, here are some basics of teaching: If you’re a teacher or…
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GOOD TEACHING IS HARD TO FIND
(No time to revise tonight – this is very rough drafty.) Good teaching is hard to find. I know there are standout teachers at all levels, but have you ever noticed that, on average, as the grade level increases, the quality of teaching decreases? Kindergarten and first grade teachers are masters at the art of teaching. They have to be, or their kids make no progress – which proves to be very apparent at that stage! Administrators and parents put lots of pressure on teachers at the front end of kids’ education. But by high school? It’s fairly common to…
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PREACHING AND TEACHING
When I started serving as minister at Sardinia Baptist Church two and a half years ago, I quickly realized I was much more comfortable Teaching rather than Preaching. At first, I wasn’t even aware that there was a difference and I’m still not sure where the line between the two actually is drawn. Maybe I’m being overly simplistic, but I understand Preaching as aimed at the heart and the spirit. It is meant to motivate and persuade. And Teaching is aimed at the mind, seeking to foster knowledge and understanding. Its goal is to explain and equip. Both can and…
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TWO TROUBLES
Ronald Reagan famously said, “The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” And I would say that, unfortunately, American Christianity suffers from both troubles: ignorance and wrong belief. Both, in the end, amount to unbelief. Off the top of my head, here are a few important things I would guess most American Christians are ignorant of: And a few of the things, in my opinion, which many American Christians “know that isn’t so”: