Biblical Literacy and Children

I read a job description for a children's minister recently that said the primary responsibility of the job is to develop "biblical literacy and Christian character" in children.

Of course, that made me wonder what biblical literacy is. I'm sure it means different things to different people.

I love the Word of God...I've memorized it, read it, studied it, meditated on it, grappled with it, sought God through it! That needs to be established before I go on.

For this church, "biblical literacy and Christian character" never mentioned anything remotely close to knowing and loving God...or a personal, redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ...or an ongoing friendship with the Creator of the Universe. Nothing.

Is biblical literacy, then, the ability to find a verse in the Bible? Is it the ability to say all 66 books of the Bible in order?

It scares me when I see that the goal of a children's ministry is knowledge and not relationship....behavioral change and not relationship.

People today are longing for an experience with the living God! That needs to be the goal of children's ministry.

Comments

[Henry Zonio]

I wholeheartedly agree! Yes, knowledge is more measurable and makes us feel good about ourselves, but transformation is what it should all be about.

[Larry Shallenberger]

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, the famous expositor, wrote that our goal wasn't to master scripture but that scripture would master us.

I wonder if Biblical literacy would then being so emmersed in God's story that it would point us to the hero of God's story, Jesus.

There's newer brain research out there, and I haven't found it yet, that suggest that story itself (not forced points or morals in the story) that wires our brains and creates a interior compass for us.

And hey, thanks for the kind words in the other post. The good folk I interviewed were very gracious and provided sound insights.

[Gary L. Taylor]

I want to thank you for the blog you posted. It is confirmation to me that what the Lord put on my heart to speak to the children about tomorrow is his word. I to love the Lord and want to teach the children not just to know the word, but to "KNOW THE WORD", as their personal savior. Thank you for being a servant of GOD.

[truevyne]

Biblical literacy? I have to agree with your observations about missing the relationship mark. My children cannot have friendship with a book- just the person of Jesus!

[Tony Kummer]

To be fair, I can understand where that church is coming from. It seems like churches across the board have given up on teaching the actual content of God's Word.

But it's not an either/or proposition. The best way to teach kids to know God is through his Word. The whole point of God speaking to us through the Bible is that we could come to know Him.

Maybe that church was just overreacting a little. I'm also worried that many churches go to the other extreme by trying to construct Christian spirituality without ever getting around to teach what God has said.

Thanks for the thought provoking post and I'm loving the new blog!

[Chris Yount Jones]

Yes, Tony, you're the voice of moderation! The pendulum swings in reaction to the edges of a discussion. And the extremes just polarize us...It's somewhere in the middle that we find balance. Thank you for that reminder. And thanks for your post!
Chris