Tips for Teachers - 2

James, the brother of Jesus wrote: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).

The Apostle Paul commented on this problem in 1 Timothy 1 when he referred to troublemakers in the church in Ephesus who wanted to “be teachers of the law.”

These days I wonder what the early church was doing differently to cause so many people to want to be teachers, when we in our time have so much difficulty finding teachers for our Bible classes.

My first point in this series was that Bible class teachers ought to study the Bible. It is one thing to use resource materials. It is another to be so wedded to them that you are just parroting their views. Teachers should study the Bible, using resource materials to augment their study, then present a lesson based on the conclusions of personal diligent study.

Second, if for any reason you find yourself parroting your resource materials, for goodness sake do not constantly refer to the fact. Begin your lesson by simply saying: "In presenting this class today on _____________ , I am indebted to _______________ and his/her book entitled _____________________. I found it very helpful in getting my mind around the subject."

Then, let it go.

If you constantly disagree with your resource material, press on with your lesson and don't mention the resource at all. If you continue to mention it, and why you differ, or belabor its inadequacies, your audience will wonder why you wasted so much time with such a poor resource.

Third, look for good resource materials. The internet is a minefield of poor resources. Just because someone writes something on the internet doesn't mean it's credible. I had to go to the ER last year. The doctor came in, examined me, and then said he'd be right back. When he didn't come back for a while, I went to find him. He was on the internet researching my condition. I had a little fun with him at his expense, but the fact of the matter was, he knew where the credible internet resources were. He didn't just "google" the issue and swallow the first few hits he found relevant. Unless you know where credible Bible study resources are, "google" is not the place to go for Bible study tools.

Whether from the internet, your local christian bookstore, or a theological library, before you buy into an author's conviction, you should know something about the author. What are his credentials? How old is his research? Adam Clark and Albert Barnes (along with John T. Hinds, J.W. McGarvey and a host of others) were respected Bible scholars of another era. Their works today, however, are nearly worthless for modern research. All wrote before the vast majority of Biblical archeology had been uncovered. All wrote before the vast body of textual evidence relative to biblical languages had been revealed. It’s like doing open heart surgery using 19th century medical scholarship. The patient might survive – but it’s doubtful. As time goes on, other authors will have consulted the old works, discussed the bad parts, incorporated the good parts, and added additional (hopefully more helpful/accurate) information. Make sure your sources are up-to-date.

One final point I’ve learned from one of my sons. There are few people of note, authorities in their field, who are unwilling to help a budding teacher who is sincerely chasing help. Most of the time, you can find their email address online. If you write them, identify yourself (I am _____________ and I am teaching a Bible class on _______________________ at ___________________ church) and ask them to recommend a book on a particular subject/book of the Bible. They will almost always reply with helpful information. But there are some rules. Don’t write long letters. Anything more than a couple of sentences is too much. Also, if you don’t like their recommendations, stop asking. Finally, don’t argue with them: in comparison, you are unlikely to know what you are talking about and they simply will not invest time in argumentation. A helpful door will close.

Next week: teaching "theology" (yes, you are probably doing it).