The Blessing and the Responsibility

In February, I had the privilege to attend the Bible Study Fellowship leader's retreat in Memphis. Retreat is only offered for our area every three years, so it was super exciting that I was able to squeeze this in before the babies arrive. It was a great time of fellowship and teaching. This was my third retreat and it was slightly different from the past because this year, they offered breakout sessions. We could choose two to attend from seven different options. The first one I attended was titled Biblical Illiteracy in Children: Today's Crisis. Some of you may think this is the most boring post ever & immediately unsubscribe, but the information was so impactful, I thought it was important to share. Below are some of my notes from the session. We have been abundantly blessed by the Lord with our two girls and this seminar reminded me of the serious responsibility we have as parents to admonish & nurture them in the Word of God.

First off... some statistics:

* 45-50% of high school seniors fall away from their faith when they leave home. This is common because many believe Christianity is more about what you do than the person of Christ...more about behavior than faith in God.

* In a survey of 8-12 year olds:

    - Fewer than 1/2 say religious faith is important

    - Only 1/3 believe Bible is accurate

    - More than 1/2 believe Jesus may have sinned

    - 4 out of 5 think good people go to heaven

Why do we have this crisis?

* Parents are biblically illiterate

* Parents don't understand the call to teach their children. We have a responsibility to pass on what we know about Christ. 

* Christian traditions are the substitute.

What do we do? The key to biblical literacy is teaching the Bible to reach the mind. Reading His inspired, living & active Word.

1. Teach the Whole Word. Don't just "snack" on the Word- it is our manna/food for everyday sustenance. Don't spare them just because we think it might be difficult for them to understand. Only teaching topical subjects is less relevant than natural lessons gleaned from consistent study. Study entire books of the Bible at a time. Keep taking them back to the big picture- plan of redemption through the entire Bible- God calling a people to Himself through Jesus.
2. The Bible is God's Autobiography. He is the main character in every chapter- not man. Start with "What does this passage say about God?" vs "What does this passage mean to me?" Aim to know God first. Pray that God will show you what to teach about Himself. Teach all of God's attributes. Not only is He loving, gracious & kind, but also holy, righteous, & just.
3. Teach the Gospel as God's Treasure.

Taking biblical literacy from something we know to something we believe

1. Teach through interaction. Engage their full attention (role play, etc.)
2. Ask good questions. Start with general content of the passage. Next general application or principle of the passage. Then how that truth affects them.
3. Turn a child's thoughts toward God. Tie real life situations to what they know about God.
4. Let your child ask questions. Wrestling is part of the acceptance.

Reality comes in a faith-filled, changed life. You see fruit- not a date of a prayer or baptism.

As a parent, you will see more resistance than acceptance, but we must keep teaching.

That's it. Those are all my notes. I'm excited about a recent gift we received, at our shower that I think will be most helpful in this endeavor- The Jesus Storybook Bible. Here is the description from amazon:

"The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David---every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle---the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too."

Anyways... I'm thankful to God that we have friends & family to come alongside us as we undertake this wonderful blessing & responsibility.