{"id":3453,"date":"2019-03-23T16:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-23T16:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpmu.azurewebsites.net\/nlt\/?p=3453"},"modified":"2021-12-08T09:22:04","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:22:04","slug":"kids-and-the-bible-are-we-discipling-non-readers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/2019\/03\/23\/kids-and-the-bible-are-we-discipling-non-readers\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids and the Bible: Are We Discipling Nonreaders?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/Paauw-Glenn-Square-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/Paauw-Glenn-Square-002.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/Paauw-Glenn-Square-002-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/Paauw-Glenn-Square-002-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/instituteforbiblereading.org\/\">Glenn Paauw, Institute for Bible Reading<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Many adults are struggling to read the Bible. We know this.\nAt some level it\u2019s understandable because the Bible is a big, complicated, and\nvery ancient book. Yet the Bible is where Christianity gets its story, so the\nfaith community needs to be deeply committed to knowing it well regardless of\nthe challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If adults are struggling, what should we expect from kids? If\nthe Bible is tough going for the grownups, it\u2019s going to be even tougher for\nyoung readers, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a word .&nbsp;.&nbsp;. yes. But maybe it\u2019s time to look\nat how we\u2019ve been trying to introduce kids to the Bible. What, exactly, has\nbeen our goal? What\u2019s the right expectation for kids reading, knowing, and\nunderstanding the Bible? And what would the path to solid Bible fluency look\nlike for kids?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/KidsSmall.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3454\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where We\u2019ve Been<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply from looking at our standard Bible curricula, it\nwould seem that what\u2019s actually happening is that we have other goals besides\nfluency (spiritual formation, teaching morals, building faith, etc.) that cause\nus to use the Bible in certain ways. The intended purpose is not often to\nfoster a deep engagement with Scripture itself. As a result, within any given\nlesson the Bible is encountered merely as either a theme verse or two, or a\nsafely paraphrased version of a \u201cBible story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps this approach is seen as a good and necessary\nadaptation of the Bible for readers who are young and not yet proficient. That makes\nsense, right? Well.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with giving children only a verse or two is that\nthis approach tends to stick around as readers get older. Even into adulthood we\ncontinue to show and teach the Scriptures by referring to select Bible verses.\nThe consequence of this is that many people persist in thinking the Bible is in\nfact a collection of these verses (and if they are honest, admitting that some\nverses are better than others).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/kids-girl-pencil-drawing-small.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/kids-girl-pencil-drawing-small.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/kids-girl-pencil-drawing-small-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And the problem with an ongoing diet of paraphrased Bible\nstories is that such narrations are not actually the Bible. They are typically\ntold with any age-inappropriate elements toned down or taken out. And of course,\nany paraphrase represents someone\u2019s interpretation of the essence of a\nparticular story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this is appropriate in a sense, but there\u2019s also a\ndanger here. Many of these \u201csafe\u201d versions of the stories are never replaced\nwith the actual biblical texts as kids turn into teenagers and then young\nadults. This means that young readers often wind up not learning the way\nbiblical language actually sounds and actually works. And older kids never learn\nto engage with the stronger, stranger, more complex versions of these stories\nthat the Bible actually tells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/boys2Small.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3461\" width=\"392\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/boys2Small.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/boys2Small-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When do we get around to teaching young adults how to handle\nthe real Bible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, these collections of paraphrased stories are\noften treated as stand-alone lessons, so kids don\u2019t ever learn how the stories are\nconnected and how they build on each other to tell the bigger biblical\nnarrative. And rarely are different kinds of literary writings acknowledged. A\ncurriculum constructed of \u201cBible stories\u201d will naturally have difficulty\nincorporating letters, songs, wisdom sayings, and other literary varieties in\nScripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So are we discipling kids into not being Bible readers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyPlayingBasketBallSmall.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyPlayingBasketBallSmall.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyPlayingBasketBallSmall-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What would the average child take away from their long-term\nexperience with the Bible in our current teaching approach? Have they taken the\nfirst steps toward receiving the Bible on its own terms? Or have they been\ntaught to use the Bible in simplistic and misleading ways?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m reminded of a conversation we had with a prominent\npublisher of children\u2019s Sunday School resources and Bible curricula. After\nreviewing their programs and comparing them with our perspective on Bible\nengagement, one of their executives, deep in thought, looked up and said, \u201cSo\nyou\u2019re telling me that if our programs are successful, we are actually\nproducing generations of non\u2013Bible readers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are kids growing up learning that the Bible is a book to be\nread? Do kids have any inkling of the big story? Are they falling in love with\nJesus\u2014that is, with Jesus as understood in the context of the overall\nnarrative?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyWithBibleSmall.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3457\" width=\"432\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyWithBibleSmall.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2019\/03\/BoyWithBibleSmall-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What To Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the<a href=\"https:\/\/instituteforbiblereading.org\/\"> Institute for Bible Reading<\/a>, we\u2019re working on answers to these reading problems. As young people within the church grow up, graduate, and head out on their own in various ways, a healthy and hearty appetite for Bible reading doesn\u2019t seem to be going with them. It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise, then, that there is a low number of adults in the church who are engaged in Bible reading and comprehension. People are following the path that\u2019s been laid out for them, and then we scramble to convert adults into Bible readers. We are failing to show them the way in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what would change look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/12\/GirlRunningSmall.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3230\" width=\"467\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/12\/GirlRunningSmall.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/12\/GirlRunningSmall-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The downward trajectory of Bible engagement in the church\nneeds to be reversed if we are to fully receive the profound gift that we have\nin God\u2019s Word. A Bibleless Christianity won\u2019t be a vibrant and affective\nChristianity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s chart a course for a new future for kids and the\nBible, so that kids know the Bible the right way at the right age and stage, and\nappropriately grow into the Bible. We want kids who not only love the Bible but\nalso learn how to read it intelligently and well, so they don\u2019t turn away from\nit the first time they encounter its opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/instituteforbiblereading.org\/\">Read more about Bible engagement from the Institute for Bible Reading<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/immersebible.com\/\">Learn more about Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/immersebible.com\/2018\/12\/04\/video-story-immerse-at-calvin-christian-high-school\/\">Hear what happens when a group of high school students read the New Testament<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Glenn Paauw, Institute for Bible Reading Many adults are struggling to read the Bible. We know this. At some level it\u2019s understandable because the Bible is a big, complicated, and very ancient book. Yet the Bible is where Christianity gets its story, so the faith community needs to be deeply committed to knowing it well [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,15,33,38,44,45],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3453"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3453"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5817,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3453\/revisions\/5817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- LIVE: wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com/nlt//wp-json/wp/v2/posts/3453 -->