Category: Christian Education

Distorted Christians

by Debra Conley

One of
several lessons about describing a Christian comes to mind when I think of all
the costumes and disguises we see on display for Halloween. This one is usually
more favored with primary age children because they know the character: 
Meet Mr. Potato Head, Christian Extraordinaire.

If you have
one of those plastic accessory toys (they are still available new after all
these years) you can create a memorable object lesson. Start with a blank head
(this refers to the toy). Show the perfect image advertised on the box, showing
what a perfectly assembled Mr. Potato Head looks like. Now ask the children
what Mr. Potato Head will look like if he has his ears tuned to the world and
not to the Word of God. As they give their answers, place the ears on backwards
or upside down. Now ask about what kind of talk the Christian is commanded to
speak. If Mr. Potato head wants to sit with his cool friends at lunch and talk
disrespectfully about their teacher or their parents, what kind of mouth would
he have? Place the mouth on the back of his head, or in a funny position.
Complete the lesson with the nose, eyebrows and other related ways the
Christian can get off track.

Present Mr.
Distorted Potato Head to the class and ask them, “Is this the way Mr. Potato
Head is supposed to look?” After listening to their answers, ask them if others
see the Christian God wants them to see when they look at you. Is your
testimony obscured by ears that are twisted to listen to things you know you
shouldn’t? Is the conversation from your mouth always straight and true? Do
your eyes keep themselves pure? If you aren’t careful, people you hope to
influence by your Christian testimony will see that distorted image instead of
the advertised picture on the box.

For
discussion: what are some of the sounds or conversations our ears should not
listen to? How can we keep our tongues (mouths/conversation) pleasing to the
Lord?

Send in the Frogs

by Debra Conley

Read the eighth chapter of Exodus to your class
first. There are many lessons here, but one that is good for teaching youth is
that God does not tolerate breaking our promises to Him, nor does He overlook
compromise. The plague of frogs was just one of God’s punishments upon the
Pharaoh of Egypt for not harkening to Moses, God’s spokesman. Note in this
chapter that the plague of frogs did not actually injure a person, but created
an environment most unpleasant! Think about eating your dinner with a layer of
live frogs covering your plate. What would it be like to swim in a pool so
thick with live frogs that you couldn’t move your arms without frogs clinging
all over them? Could you walk outside if frogs covered every layer of ground?
Think about walking on top of layers of frogs!

For a craft to do with this lesson, make a frog
from a thin paper plate folded in half. Paint the outside green and the inside
red for the mouth. Add a purple or black tongue and glue or paint eyes on the
top fold of the plate. Lunch sized paper bags also make good frogs with mouths.
Use these as puppets and ask the students to create a little play showing why
the frogs came upon Egypt. What did Pharaoh do wrong? Why didn’t the plague of
frogs convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go? How many more plagues did God
have to send before Pharaoh listened? In verses 25-29 of Exodus 8, Pharaoh
tries to “make a deal” with Moses and compromise his first promise. Does this
work for Pharaoh? If your church substitutes wholesome activities for
Halloween, try a Plagues of Egypt party. Students may come dressed as any
animal from the plagues of Exodus. They should display a badge with their
“consequence” and the verse relating to it on the costume. Include frog races,
serpent (snake) races (they crawl on their bellies), gnat and fly catching
games (bad mitten or butterfly/firefly catchers), and tug of war between Egypt
and Israel or between Pharaoh and Moses. Decorate pumpkins to look like frogs or
cut frog faces into the pumpkins. Instead of scary creatures that pop out in a
maze or fun house, have the plagues come out.

Keeping Pure

by Debra Conley

Second Thessalonians Chapter 3 is just one example of the command for Christians to keep our personal environment pure. We are commanded to be careful that influences not strictly parallel to the teachings of God’s Word are to be avoided, or as this chapter says, “have no company with them.” Be careful to explain to your students that keeping company with some one or some thing is a continual practice, not intended to mean that we should not speak to them, show kindness to them, or witness to them. We cannot make their habits our habits. I have included here a few ideas of object lessons to demonstrate a known fact of science and nature: the object always reacts to and absorbs its environment.

Test # 1: Fill a clear glass container half full with water. Add red or blue food coloring to make a dark mixture. Name this mixture the environment. Place a long stalk of celery in the water to represent the object (or person) being placed in the environment.  It will take most of your class time, but the water will eventually wick up the stalk and color the celery.

Test # 2: Before your class, place a piece of bread out until mold begins to form on it. Use this as the environment. During class, place several pieces of new bread in a clear container (with a tight lid) in with the moldy one. Discuss with your class what they think will happen to the new bread. Because there are more new pieces than molded ones, will the new ones make the molded piece new again? Make sure the container is tightly closed and leave for a few days. Find your answer as you observe the bread over a few days or a week. NOTE: Only an adult should handle the molded bread and do so with gloves on. Some people are allergic to mold. Remember the rule for allergy items: Don’t breathe it in; don’t touch your skin. Throw the entire container away without ever opening it when you finish this experiment.

Test # 3: Purchase a piece of fruit that is already starting to brown and several that are new and fresh. Peaches or bananas are great for this. As you did with the bread, put the browned fruit in a clear container first to represent the environment. Next, place several new fruits in the container. Secure the lid tightly and leave the fruit for the students to observe. Ask the same questions as before: which environment will win over the others, the good fruit or the bad fruit? NOTE: Follow the same handling rules as for the molded bread. Toss the entire unopened container away!

Follow this with a discussion of other “environments” your students know that will change a good object to a bad one.

Children are Literal

by Debra Conley

We all know how literally children take our words. Not until
the age of 6 or 7 at the earliest do children begin to grasp nuances of
teasing, levity, or criticism. A fine example of this literal thinking occurred
one morning as I was driving my six year old to school. I was listening to the
market report and the financial guru said, “The dollar jumped against the
German mark yesterday.” My six year old asked just how could a dollar jump? She
had listened carefully and interpreted literally.

This observation is important in your teaching of children
under the age of ten. They are mostly still literal thinkers. This is why
teasing, sarcasm, and ridicule are so dangerous with young children. They
assume the literal interpretation of your words. Teachers and parents may tease
or ridicule a child over actions that are embarrassing to them without
realizing that the problem is theirs, not the child’s. Don’t damage a child’s
self-esteem over your hang-ups. Dobson and many other fine Christian counselors
tell us that a child’s self esteem must be firmly in place before he starts
school, or failure may easily set in when he thinks he is not capable or like
other children because he has heard so much ridicule about his poor habits (or
ones that his parents don’t like) and not enough about his good ones. It’s
really about literal thinking.

Consider how many jokes your younger children don’t get or
the fact that they don’t start telling jokes themselves until they are older.
Why? Because they don’t get them! Of course, the precocious child will be ahead
of the curve, but frequently, he will have to tell his jokes to older people,
not to his peers.

Teachers (and that includes the ultimate teachers, parents)
must take into account the thinking level of their students. So does that mean
that one can’t laugh and have fun with young children? Of course not. The
literal fun of humorous pictures or examples (see my column on potato heads of
October, 2005) is what young children find enjoyable. They listen intently to
skits, illustrated lessons, or puppet ministries because the words are acted
out literally.

The point here is to measure your words carefully. Young
children are literal. What about the teenager? They are much more capable of
understanding levity and nuance, but they are also at one of the most
vulnerable stages in their lives and may need more encouragement than you 
realize. This is why it is important to begin lessons with a positive or
encouraging statement. Even if your lesson is about the consequences of bad
choices or wrong associations, a good teacher will start with the positive.

Expositional Learning

by Debra Conley

When Scripture or any other exposition is taken out of context,
the listener only knows what the speaker says or thinks, not what the writer is
saying or thinking or intends for us to grasp. If we don’t learn all about a
passage, that is, why God said what He said when He said it, then all we are
getting is the speaker’s experience of what those words mean to him. This might
be one way to emphasize this important step in true learning to your students:
Prepare a detailed exposition of a passage of Scripture (refer to my columns of
January 2005 and February 2006). Don’t forget the important step of comparing
Scripture with Scripture. The Bible repeats important lessons numerous times
for obvious reasons. Ask your students to read the passage before coming to
Sunday school. During your Sunday session, let each student present his
summation of what he learned reading this passage. List each response in a
column on your board. Discuss the different opinions (most will be just that)
the students drew from their reading. You should also let them discover why
there are so many variations (this will point out that personal
opinion/observations are the result of that person’s personal experiences with
that subject).

Now present to them the exposition you prepared of the
passage. Do any of their personal observations of the meaning of this passage
match the conclusion drawn from the expository approach? If so, congratulate
that student! Did that student come to the same conclusion by studying or by a
stroke of chance? This method is an excellent way to demonstrate the importance
of real study of any reading, whether Scripture or otherwise. To assume that a
reader’s experience is the only way to evaluate any reading is naïve. To
present it that way is disservice at the least. To dig into the entire
exposition of any reading is the only way to begin to uncover the real meaning.
Sometimes it takes going to numerous sources for background information and it
often happens that new material can shed previously unknown light on passages.

Imagination and Illustrations

by Debra Conley

The illustration is never as good as the imagination. We’ve
all seen a picture, photo, play, or film that illustrates a prized work of
literature and been quite disappointed in the actual portrayal of the scene or
the character. Our God-given imagination far outplays the human ability to
portray it. I think this is one reason faith is such an important part of
reading the Scripture. Each of us has his own desire for what is perfect and
precious. A former pastor of mine used to tell of his dreams of Heaven which
included massive fields of strawberries. We’ve all pictured our mansion in
glory in our imaginations. Mine has a huge veranda covered with gorgeous
flowers that never fade, wilt, or die. And there’s no Georgia red clay in the
soil!

But my original premise that the imagination is far better
than any illustration is my point. Readers in younger grades have oodles of
pictures on every page, but when they arrive at the upper grades, the reading
includes few illustrations. I think there may be some overkill in the younger
readers rather than a lack of edutainment (my word, not in Webster’s) in the
upper level reading. I’m not opposed to pictures or photos. I actually think
history books ought to contain more actual photos, maps, etc., for the sake of
factual portrayal. However, when reading, especially fiction, the imagination
is the best! Think about a favorite book of yours and what kind of images you
conjured as you read the descriptive passages. Did you later see pictures or a
play about that book and experience some disillusion over the scenes? You
probably did. I’ll never forget being captivated by a commercial about romance
with a handsome prince (I thought I had married the only one!). My mind
immediately created a million images. Then the representation appeared on the
screen: a horribly unkempt male with the curb appeal of a hairy frog. It was a
margarine commercial! I’ll never be able to buy that brand, but every time I
need a good example of something disgusting, I refer to the “Butter Boy.” I’ll
keep the Prince I have, thank you.

Keep the imagination alive and active, rather than providing
your students every image. Let your students read a passage of the Bible and
then illustrate it themselves by drawing a picture of what they imagine. After
they finish, ask them if they were able to draw a picture that was as good as
what they imagined. Compare pictures throughout the class in order to see how
varied our minds can be. Describe a passage of a book with words and then try
to draw what your mind envisions. Let’s make more use of imagination.

Opinion vs. Fact

by Debra Conley

One way to encourage critical thinking and to illustrate its
importance is to give your students a simple (on the surface) task: Collect an
editorial from a local media source, or a statement of opinion or preference
from a writer. Many of the new “religious” writers are no more than personal
opinion publishers. While opinions are supposed to be personal, they should
have a basis in reality, sensibility, and thought. Facts are also nice.  Opinions
without reasonable basis are useless. Of course, this is what most news
editorials have become, simply a place to demand “This is what I want!” or
“This is what I think.” I fear many Christians swallow this kind of opinion as
life principle without delving into its basis. Let’s work to put opinion on a
more philosophical plane as well as to evaluate its worth.

Start with the basics. What opinion is the writer
expressing? Unfortunately, this is where most teaching of thinking ends. Some
teachers will ask students if they agree or disagree, but that is not the first
part of the skill set to approach.

Proceed with a further analysis. Who is the writer? What
experience with this subject (of the article) does she have? Can you see a
relationship between her experience (or lack of) and the opinion she expresses?
What social, economic, educational, and professional experiences and
associations of the writer might also come through in her opinion? Which one of
these background influences appears strongest in her statements? Choose the
statements you think express more than just a momentary opinion; that is,
statements that reflect a cultural, economic, or educational preference. Is
there a particular point in the writer’s life that a statement can be connected
to?

Next discuss the position of the opinion as an objective
statement. Is the statement valid? Does it have loopholes? Is there fallacious
(unfounded basis) reasoning in the opinion? Could the opinion be true under
some circumstances, or is it a statement that can be proven to be true? How can
it be proven? By examples, experiences (related stories), or by facts? Is the
opinion expressed as conjecture? This means that the writer is proposing a
future possibility, probably one she has thinks will work or should happen. If
certain events occur in the future, would that make this possibility more
likely? List the changes the future will have to have for this event to occur.
Does the writer seem to grasp this? Or does she just throw out an idea without
providing a framework for its completion? What additional resources can you
uncover that will either cement this opinion as good argument or that will show
this opinion to be without merit?

Look to see if the writer offers solutions to these
questions by giving that background information or structure, thus giving you,
the reader, something to think about and to evaluate her expressed opinion as
valid or not.

The In-House Field Trip

by Debra Conley

Sometimes you just want to do something a little different
or change the scenery. Try taking what I call an in-house field trip. Younger
children find this great fun and can learn from it as well. Pretend that your
building will be Asia and Macedonia. Create a map of your building and
designate certain rooms or areas as stops on the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys.
Using a large appliance box, let the students decorate the box like a ship,
complete with emblems and cloth sails. Each student can be given a stop on the
journey to be in charge of. As you “sail” your ship through the building (Fred
Flintstone style with your feet), the student in charge of the stop will tell
us why we are there, who we will be visiting, what church Paul established
there, and other interesting points about the location and its people. Create
“storms” along the way with flashing lights and sounds of thunder. For older
students, you can include a jail at Rome and make the explanation of Paul’s
imprisonment part of the journey.

While at each of Paul’s stops, give the students a printed
maze or puzzle to work that depicts elements true to Paul’s experiences at that
location. When you stop at Ephesus, a church “elder” might be reading a letter
from Paul while he is in the Roman jail. The students can act out the reactions
of parishioners, or conduct a question and answer period. Ask them to quote
verses, give the names of Bible characters they remember from that location, or
be the first to tell us where the next stop on the journey will be. Just be
sure to make it back to your classroom by snack time since eating in a boat
will make some students sea-sick!

Mature students may not find the pretend boat such a thrill.
Send them on a scavenger hunt with clues that match each of the locations along
Paul’s journey. In each room designated as a part of Asia, “plant” items or
written clues to the next part of the journey. The first one or group to
successfully complete the journey in the correct order by following the clues
gets to serve the snacks, or be served first. Whatever floats their boat! If
you don’t want to risk turning them loose in the building, create the same
journey clues in a board game format. Give each team the same board (map of
Asia) and clues. See who can figure it out first.

Consider the Context

by Debra Conley

We’ve all heard someone correct another when he uses “Revelations” instead of The Revelation. While many dismiss this as a trivial oversight, it is important in light of exposition of Scripture to designate the intent of the singular over the plural. The Bible is a little like a jigsaw puzzle: it has many pieces but until they are all put together into one unified composition (picture), the pieces are useless or at best, unfinished. So it is with The Revelation. It is, to say, “The Final Piece” of the overall puzzle of the Bible; without this final part the picture is incomplete. And without the previous books, The Revelation makes no sense any more than putting the last piece of a puzzle on the table and calling it a complete picture.

Part of the completed picture must also include the instruction that taking one piece out of the puzzle, or breaking the Bible message into “revelations” (many) instead of Revelation (one) will result in a skewed message. This is why it is important to understand not just the grammatical difference here between the singular and the plural, but the overall implication to the final, complete composition of God’s Word if one piece is removed and treated or taught as a separate idea or practice.

What’s my point? In returning to our discussion of the necessity of exposition for thorough teaching, the same principle applies. If a teacher pulls a verse out of context and uses it for a single application, the surrounding inferences will come from the student’s own experiences and related knowledge. If the student has no base in the background for the material, he will make his own assumptions from personal experience or the teaching of someone else he has heard or read. This has become a commonplace “chance” some teachers risk, and it is unfair to the student to give him an incomplete puzzle to fit together any way he can with whatever leftover puzzle pieces he finds in his personal background. A good teacher makes every attempt to put all of the puzzle pieces in front of the student and to help that individual fit them together properly to form a complete picture.

Teaching by Exposition

by Debra Conley

Exposition is a dying art! Introducing students to the
background material of a passage or book is critical to thorough comprehension.
This teaching method was a mainstay of the classroom until the “education
revolution” of the late 20^th Century. Of course, the pendulum has
swung full circle and advisors are suggesting once again that bringing in the
full scope of social, political, and economic background enhances the reading
of most any literature. This is just as true when teaching the Bible. Even the
youngest listener can participate in expository exploration.

Peter was a fisherman by occupation and lived by the Sea of
Galilee. Draw a simple map of modern day Israel and show students where this is
in relation to where they live.  Discuss what kind of tools a fisherman
might use and display those or pictures of rods, nets, boats, sails, etc. Talk
about tools or items their parents use in their jobs for comparison. Let them
draw a picture of those items their parents use.  Some students will need
an explanation about how fishing was an occupation for Peter, not a hobby or
sport. This visualization of the story immensely expands the understanding for
teaching the next step, the metaphor or comparison to the Christian’s duty.

Peter witnessed (Luke 5) how following the command of Jesus
to let down the nets yielded results the entire crew of fishermen had not been able
to achieve though they had worked hard the entire day (verse 5). Because Peter
knew his trade and that they had done all that was humanly possible to catch
fish, the nets bulging with fish could only have come from the Heavenly Father.
This was a direct result of following Jesus’ command. And this is our lesson;
when we follow His commands and let Him lead in our lives, He blesses
abundantly over what we can do on our own.

My nephew, Daniel Shrader, is a missionary to Russia. He
signs all his correspondence, “Until the nets are full.” He continues following
God’s command until the net is to be drawn up and his work is ended (verse 6).
Some students enjoy acting out lessons and trying to inject different responses
from the character (Peter), then playing out what they think will be the
consequences. Exposition requires drawing in every possible addition to your
teaching!