1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

what kind of teaching is this?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by nodak, Apr 3, 2010.

  1. nodak

    nodak Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2008
    Messages:
    1,269
    Likes Received:
    16
    And how prevalent is it?

    The kind of teaching I am talking about is sermons, or Bible studies, or small group materials, or books where the lesson seems to have been written, AND THEN the author or speaker used a concordance to lift passages out of context to prove the point of the lesson.

    Our ladies' Bible study is finishing up one like that, and we haven't found a lot available that take a passage of scripture and study it in context.

    We get assignments to memorize "these wonderful scripture promises to get you through hard times." Only problems are a) God gave those promises to specific people in specific circumstances, and they may or may not be promises one can generalize and b) the author apparently had to sift through about 32 translations to find one that says what she wants it to say.

    We are find so many Christians with absolutely no idea of the story from start to finish--Genesis to Revelation--but with lots of memorized "sound bites" that, taken out of context, do not mean what these people think they mean at all!

    Feel free to recommend small group studies that do not do this, and that are focused on Jesus Christ rather than the student.

    Thanks!
     
  2. donnA

    donnA Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2000
    Messages:
    23,354
    Likes Received:
    0
    I agree, I've seen way too many of these, it almost seems it's all anyone writes. Idone studies and read the verse and thought, it has nothing to do with it, have also notes how many times they use assorted translations in one study becasue just one won't say everything they want it too, using the words they need to make it say what they want it too. I think part of the problem is topical studies from what I've seen. I'd love to know whats out there that just teaches scripture.
     
  3. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 24, 2004
    Messages:
    4,366
    Likes Received:
    47
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You might try the navigators, they used to have a lot of bible studies. Also Back to the Bible used to have some studies.
     
  4. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Messages:
    4,201
    Likes Received:
    607
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You have hit upon one of the main problems in modern Christianity: directed or themed Bible study. It is much more pervasive than seems to be generally recognized. I believe also that theme study Bibles also add to the problem.

    The answer would be to look for a church that has Bible studies that go through books of the Bible, from start to finish - without relying heavily on any one expert's book. Our church went through Hebrew's. It took over a year, but the benefits were definitely worth it.
     
  5. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2005
    Messages:
    9,031
    Likes Received:
    2
    The Southern Baptist Convention's publishing arm, Lifeway, offers two types of Sunday School lessons.

    One, Bible Studies for Life does the themed lessons. The other, the Explore the Bible series, is a book-by-book, verse-by-verse study of the Scriptures. The lessons will cover the entire Bible over a nine-year cycle. Right now, we're going through the Book of Exodus. That will take two months.

    In addition, Founders Ministries also treats the same scripture passages in both kinds of lessons from a slightly different perspective. Both Lifeway and Founders begin with an assumption of scriptural inerrancy.

    Some of you may be worried that the Founders writers will taint their lessons with some subtle, even overt, Calvinism. Check for yourself at Founders.org.
     
  6. nodak

    nodak Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2008
    Messages:
    1,269
    Likes Received:
    16
    Thanks all for the info!

    Baptist churches are scarce around here, so when you find the best available, even if it means a long drive, you don't change churches easily.

    But our ladies' Bible study does need a new direction. This last study was capitol P pitiful.

    Maybe we WILL just do what we did before we were so "blessed" with all this material available--just get out our Bibles and go through a book!
     
  7. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 14, 2001
    Messages:
    26,977
    Likes Received:
    2,536
    Faith:
    Baptist
    While Tom has a point that we should be perusing through the entire bible periodically, there is an appropriate question in the managment field of this world:

    "Does he have 10 years of work experience or the same work experience for ten years"?

    Although each time I do go through the Bible or even a singular book there is aways a new and fresh experience.

    There is another point concerning Bible snipettes or "sound bites".

    OT "sound bites" abound in the NT are are used frequently by Christ and the Apostles.

    HankD
     
  8. nodak

    nodak Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2008
    Messages:
    1,269
    Likes Received:
    16
    You raise a good point, HankD, but we aren't talking about a study where other passages are referenced or quoted and then expounded upon or expanded, as Jesus did.

    We are talking about just finding those sound bites. An example is taking a promise made to a specific group of Israelites by a specific prophet about a specific battle and expecting to just "memorize and claim it" without knowing its' context. Sorry, but I don't think any of us can make the sun go back just by claiming it.

    If you read Eternal Security by Charles Stanley he uses snippets and quotes properly--giving you the background, showing you how it all fits together.

    The study we are doing doesn't do that. The gal that wrote it apparently (it seems--wasn't there, don't know her heart!) first wrote her book, then went hunting for quotes to back up her points. It becomes obvious because sometimes, taken in context, her quotes mean the exact opposite of what she teaches.

    During the discussion time we are finding many ladies have been taught this way. They have a mind full of memorized pretty quotes to spout, but not a clue who, for example, Shadrach is, or don't know the story of Noah, or never heard about the battle of Jericho, or know David danced before the Lord but don't know as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. They have no idea the OT is full of prophecies concerning Jesus or the NT contains end time prophecies. All they know is pretty quotes to help them have a really happy life right now.

    And some of them say they have been saved and in Baptist churches for quite a few years.

    YIKES!
     
  9. gaultzilla

    gaultzilla New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    sounds like "40 days of purpose" or some Rick Warren production.
     
  10. donnA

    donnA Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2000
    Messages:
    23,354
    Likes Received:
    0
    it's more prevelant then being just RW, I've seen these studies a lot, and soem by big name christian teachers.
    I had an idea nodak, maybe your in the class to help them learn whats wrong with this and why, and show them the right way. help them learn context, proper bible study.
     
  11. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2007
    Messages:
    4,894
    Likes Received:
    28
    How about for the next Bible study folks have, everyone just brings a Bible..and studies it. :jesus:
     
  12. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 14, 2001
    Messages:
    26,977
    Likes Received:
    2,536
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I agree with your O/P premise Nodak. Just showing that there a time and place for an isolated "sound bite" of a skilled and gifted Scripture oracle.

    Thanks
    HankD
     
Loading...