Today we often seek preachers who tell us stories, make us laugh, and tickle our ears with poetry and platitudes. We would rather listen to Jon Stewart than Jonathan Edwards. We ought to think critically about how far we have slipped down the slope of valuing style over substance.
Ultimately, how you handle your speaking notes will depend on personal preference. As you experiment, here are some ideas that may help you find your style and prepare like a pro.
Teaching through stories is increasingly popular. But there is a downside. Here’s how to avoid the pitfalls.
You’ve probably heard a teacher, pastor or preacher say something to the effect “and then God told me.” What’s up with that? What role does personal experience and/or personal revelation play in Bible study? For me, the bottom line is: Scripture takes precedence over emotions and experience; and teachers ought to strive for accuracy and precision in their language. Here are the guidelines I use when teaching.
At a writing conference, one speaker claimed everyone needs 3 people to become a better writer. His list applies to Bible teachers — with one addition.
You’ve probably heard the joke that the greatest insult you can give a Bible teacher is that your work is both original and good. Why is that funny? The part that’s original is not good, and the part that’s good is not original. The goal of Bible study is to be right, not original.
So you’d like to teach the Bible? How do you get started? How do you decide if Bible teaching is your calling? Here’s my advice for aspiring teachers.
So you’d like to teach the Bible? How do you get started? How do you decide if Bible teaching is your calling? Here’s my advice for aspiring teachers. First and foremost you need to learn to study the Bible well. Start with Bible Study 101. Then progress to the topics below.
The key to understanding Hebrew poetry and Wisdom Literature is knowing that the “rhyme” of ideas is more important than the sounds. This “rhyming” of ideas is called parallelism.
While I recommend you learn how to do your own word studies, here are some shortcuts you can take to save time, to get past “study block” or compare your ideas with someone else’s.
Word studies are one of the basic tools of Bible study. If you want to understand the author’s intended meaning, you need to understand the words he chose in his original language. If you only circle key English words, you may be circling the same English word but 3 different Greek words and missing some of author’s intent.
An analytical outline is a way of displaying a text of Scripture so that the flow of thought and the relationship between the grammatical parts become clear. It is my favorite study tool and one of the first things I do. Learn how to make one.
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.