Thursday, March 4, 2010

Teaching Biblical Truth to Postmodern People

Those who regularly read by blog know that I often write about how individual Christians, and the churches they lead, can relate to postmodern teenagers and young adults. In numerous blogs I have expressed the importance of music in these efforts. I have also discussed a variety of ways to use technology. I have stressed the importance of using more of a "discussion" format than a "lecture" format. I have also stressed the need to be open about our own weaknesses and failures as they relate to our spiritual journey. But recently a friend asked me how I actually teach the Bible to postmodern people. He expressed appreciation for my emphasis on music, technology, discussion and authenticity, but he longed to know how to open up the Bible and share its powerful truth with postmodern people who view that Book so differently than evangelical Christians. He addressed his question to me because I regularly speak to large groups of unchurched teenagers and young adults, and many of them are turning to faith in Christ. In his mind, I must be doing something right and he wanted to know what it was. What I share below is what I have learned from my own experience, it may not work for everyone, but it does work well for me.

When we prepare to teach or preach the Bible to teenagers or young adults, we need to remember that we live in a culture that is biblically illiterate. Most young adults do not know the stories in the Bible. Therefore, if we refer to biblical stories as illustrations, our young adult audience may not follow our flow of thought very well. This is not because they are stupid or uninterested. It is simply because they do not know the stories we are referring to so casually. If we want to use a biblical story as an illustration for some point we are making, we are going to have to take the time to tell that story to the audience. We simply cannot assume they already know it. The same would be true about using various words that may convey significant meaning to a churched audience, but have no meaning whatsoever to a non-churched listener.

In my personal experience, I have found it very helpful to pick a book of the Bible and teach through the entire book over a period of time. I pretty much teach through the book paragraph by paragraph. That helps the hearers build a base of understanding for that particular book. Then, when I refer back to a story from that same book, which was covered in a previous lesson, they tend to follow it better.

In addition to not having a general knowledge of the Bible, young adults do not automatically accept what they do know about the Bible as true. Even if we tell a biblical story that illustrates a point, or quote multiple verses that we think "proves" the truth we are teaching, we may not be convincing the listeners because young adults tend to be skeptical of absolute truth. Using a large number of verses from various parts of the Bible can actually be counter-productive. Part of this is due to them not knowing enough about the various parts of the Bible to be able to follow along, and part of this is due to a tendency for pastors and teachers to take one verse out of context when needing to "pump up" a weak exegesis of another verse. Young adults may not know much about the Bible, but they are not fooled by weak explanations or poor contextual analysis. Since jumping around from passage to passage is very confusing to them, giving them additional verses actually does not convince them any more than just giving them solid teaching on a subject from one good passage of scripture.

Personally, I have found that if I wrap the entire lesson around a single scripture passage and spend time explaining that passage well, young adults tend to be able to focus better on the truth that I am trying to convey. This is different than when I first started in ministry and "topical" studies were more in vogue. Topical studies are more helpful if the hearers have a general understanding of the Bible. Topical studies are less helpful if the hearers have little or no general understanding of Biblical teaching or theology.

Because teenagers and young adults are not sure the Bible is absolute truth, it makes little sense to ask them to make a spiritual commitment on the spot. This does not mean that we should not move them toward making deeply personal spiritual commitments; it simply means that they are unlikely to make such commitments instantly. Instead, preachers and teachers should consider challenging young adults to think deeply about the truth that has just been conveyed. Young adults should be challenged to reflectively contemplate biblical truth and only asked to make a commitment to that truth once they have come to a reflective conclusion. In my own ministry, I often tell the students in advance of certain dates in which we will be having a baptism, or some other spiritual milestone, and ask them to come see me before that date if they are ready to make some type of spiritual commitment. That allows them time to consider making a spiritual decision, but does not force them to decide without having thought it through completely.

Will teaching through the Bible a paragraph at a time with each lesson focused on that specific passage and then asking young adults to think about it on their own at a later date actually work? It sure works in our ministry in Vermont! Vermont is extremely postmodern. Vermont is the least religious state in America. Very few young adults in Vermont have a connection to a church of any kind, and even fewer have a connection to an evangelical church. Yet, the church that I help lead has over 180 teenagers enrolled in our youth ministry, with a weekly attendance at our primary youth gathering of 50-75 teens. We do not employ a paid youth worker, but have a team of adult volunteers who work together to lead the ministry. Most of the young adults we reach come without their parents.

It has been our experience that postmodern teenagers and young adults are curious about spiritual things and they do want to know that the Bible says about various issues they are facing in their lives. It may just take awhile before they accept biblical concepts as truth. When we get frustrated with how long it takes for them to come around, we remind ourselves of that wonderful Biblical truth that says no one comes to the Father unless the Spirit draws them. Let us teach and preach the Word, filled with His Spirit, and patiently await the Father to draw the next generation to Himself.

14 comments:

  1. Great blog.

    I have found similar attitudes among young adults and "churched" adults from the "Bible Belt" including a lack of Biblical literacy. The use of narrative seems to be much more compelling for them.

    I have scraped the "three points and a poem" that is still taught at most seminaries. I have heard 3 points, 3 subpoints, and 3 subpoints of the subpoints. It seems that each point becomes it's individual story which is very confusing and hard to follow without a good Biblical foundation.

    Thanks for the insight.

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  2. Dr. David Scott Lee, Newbury, VTMarch 4, 2010 at 7:01 PM

    Thanks for the blog article, I agree 100%.

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  3. Dr. Tim Christian, Mid-America Baptist Theological SeminaryMarch 4, 2010 at 7:03 PM

    Good word, well stated. Thanks so much.

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  4. I want to know when you are working with the youth, which books of the Bible have you been using? Sometimes it's hard to know where to begin.

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  5. Susan, since all the books are inspired, theoretically, you could use any book in the Bible. But we started in Genesis so they would understand the creation story and then moved through Exodus. Then we jumped to Judges, Joshua, Ruth and Esther. That gave them a good understanding of Biblical truth, and took about two years. We then moved to the Gospel of Luke, and went through the end of Acts. We are now in Ephesians.

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  6. Very good article. You know your kids and trust your God to draw them to Himself.

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  7. I like this.

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  8. What I find the most amazing is that this kind of preaching should not seem "new" or "radical" at all. It should just seem normal. Perhaps if preachers had been doing this all the time instead of trying to be poetic and alliterated, etc, then our nation would not have become postmodern to begin with.

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  9. Sean N., 16 year old athiestMarch 6, 2010 at 8:18 AM

    This only works if the teenager "is curious"...

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  10. Great point Sean, and you are correct that I am assuming that if a teen comes to a Bible study or church service, he or she must be at least somewhat curious.

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  11. Looking for practical ways to put some of the principles in this blog post into action? Purchase my book, Developing Leadership Teams in the Bivocational Church. The first part of the book explains why bivocational ministry is biblical, normal and missional. The second part of the book explains how to mobilize the laity to do high level ministry in a team setting with the pastor so that the church can be effective in reaching its community for Christ.
    The book is published by Crossbooks and you can buy the book directly from them at:

    http://www.crossbooks.com/BookStore/BookStoreBookDetails.aspx?bookid=58188

    The book is also available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles.com and a many other online bookstores.
    If you live in Central Vermont, you can purchase a copy at the Faith Community Church in Barre, VT.

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  12. I have a 19 year old teen living with me now and I asked him a few things about bible stories and I was a bit disappointed that with him having attended church on a regular basis with his grandparents, he mostly sat there and absorbed very little. I asked him about the birth of Jesus and asked why did Mary and Joseph have to go elsewhere for his birth and his answer?
    "Because her water broke?"
    ( I had to chuckle.. I am sure that happened, but that was not the answer I was in search of ).

    I am going to work with him to start from the beginning and straight through for the short time he may be living with me. Thanks for your blog. Its so real and makes one think more.

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  13. A.Whodat,
    Thanks for sharing your story. I find that quite common. Thanks for investing in that young man. Here is a resource that may help:
    http://www.lulu.com/shop/dr-terry-w-dorsett/bible-brain-teasers-fun-adventures-through-the-bible/paperback/product-17977964.html

    Terry

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