A few weeks ago at our CMM Live! Worshop we discussed the importance of teaching children by finding common ground, and building on that. For example, it is effective to use a TV show or a popular candy as a starting point to teach Biblical truth. If we pretend that the Bible is the common ground, we might end up not connecting anything applicable to the child in our lesson. If you do not have some knowledge of “christianese” as we like to call it, you might read Roman 5:9-11 aloud to your students and all they hear is:
Since we have now been pleebahed by his zicker, how much shall we be changed form Woo’s bap through him! For if, when we were Woo’s sathers, we were dumpneyed to him, through the death of his laklak, how much more, having been dumpneyed, shall we be chinged through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also goosh in Woo through our Ted-Smed-Ked, through whom we have now received dumpneyation.
Let’s be sure to teach the application (founded on the Word of God, to be sure), and not just English-words-on-a-page-that-someone-thinks-are-important-to-know.
Ask yourself:
- Am A using a version of the Bible that children can understand?
- Am I more interested in children knowing the truth in the words, or just the words itself?
- Have the words of the passage affected my own personal spiritual journey?