For generations, most seminary teaching of the Bible has focused on the historical-critical method. While this method has been the standard in almost every seminary curriculum, the effects of this approach to Scripture have hardly been examined. From examining the biblical studies courses at ten different seminaries and divinity schools, Dale Martin learned what faculties were doing and what students were hearing. This book presents his discoveries, offering the best-ever inside look at the teaching of the Bible for ministry. Going beyond mere description, Martin argues for a new emphasis on interpreting Scripture within the context of church history and theology. Such a reading would be more theological, more integrated into the whole theological curriculum, and more theoretical (as it would focus on what's at stake in interpretation); however, Martin surprisingly argues, it would be more practical at the same time.
Teaching the Bible Coming to terms with the interpretive revolution- Although the field of biblical studies is bursting with new methods and fresh interpretations, there has been surprisingly little discussion of what these changes mean for the actual task of teaching the Bible. Happily, this volume takes significant first steps in addressing the shifts in classroom pedagogy that the new day in biblical studies urgently demands. Norman K. Gottwald Author of The Hebrew Bible: A Brief Socio-Literary Introduction An absolutely indispensable compendium of resources for charting the changes in the discipline of biblical studies, for exposing the operations of power in past and present interpretations and uses of the Bible, and for discovering a variety of postmodernist and postcolonial pedagogies in the reading and teaching of the Bible in a radically pluralistic age. Abraham Smith Perkins School of Theology, S.M.U. A superb collection of essays on a topic centrally important to theological education and biblical studies. It is an invaluable contribution to the new emancipatory paradigm emerging in biblical studies. Highly accessible, a must reading for anyone in the field. Elisabeth Schssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity Harvard University Divinity School Teaching the Bible engages the problem and opportunity of theological education in the twenty-first century head on. In a tightly crafted series of provocative essays, the work clearly defines the postmodern, postcolonial, culturally enriched challenges facing the academy today. For any student or scholar who wants to engage the postmodern challenge as an innovative opportunity rather than a debilitating crisis, Teaching the Bible is required reading. Brian K. Blount President, Union Theological Seminary-PSCE Fernando F. Segovia is Oberlin Graduate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He is author, with Ada Mara Isasi-Daz, of Hispanic Latino Theology: Challenge and Promise (Fortress Press, 1996). Mary Ann Tolbert is George H. Atkinson Professor of Biblical Studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. She is author of Sowing the Gospel: Mark's World in Literary-Historical Perspective (Fortress Press, 1996). Biblical Studies / Hermeneutics Fortress Press FortressPress.com
While books on pedagogy in a theoretical mode have proliferated in recent years, there have been few that offer practical, specific ideas for teaching particular biblical texts. To address this need, Teaching the Bible, a collection of ideas and activities written by dozens of innovative college and seminary professors, outlines effective classroom strategies—with a focus on active learning—for the new teacher and veteran professor alike. It includes everything from ways to incorporate film, literature, art, and music to classroom writing assignments and exercises for groups and individuals. The book assumes an academic approach to the Bible but represents a wide range of methodological, theological, and ideological perspectives. This volume is an indispensable resource for anyone who teaches classes on the Bible.
Why does Bible study flourish in some churches and small groups and not in others? In this updated edition of a trusted classic, two Christian education specialists provide readers with the knowledge and methods needed to effectively communicate the message of the Bible. The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the "big idea" of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way.
Preachings most able practitioners gather in this book to explore and explain the idea that preaching is a practice that can be taught and learned. Arguing that preaching is a living practice with a long tradition, an identifiable shape, and a broad set of norms and desired outcomes, these noted scholars propose that teachers initiate students into the larger practice of preaching, in ways somewhat like other students are initiated into the practice of medicine or law. The book concludes with designs for a basic preaching course and addresses the question of how preaching courses fit into the larger patterns of seminary curricula.
The goal of every pastor, missionary, and lay leader in the evangelical church is to proclaim the word of God accurately. And, one of the key components of accurate biblical interpretation is the understanding of the Bible's original languages. While some Bible teachers forego learning Hebrew and Greek altogether, many men and women seek their language training by buying books to study on their own, others look for free online courses and videos to provide this instruction, while still others commit to formal theological training through higher education. Each of those language-learning formats (print, digital, and guided) are effective educational tools, but the problem is that each of those formats are primarily based on the same, antiquated teaching method. This book analyzes and assesses the current biblical language pedagogy from the vantage point of over thirty prominent professionals in the field of New Testament Greek. Their insight provides some of the first formal data on the usefulness and effectiveness of the Grammar-Translation Method for teaching biblical languages today. Additionally, this book will introduce a unique and cutting-edge approach to the process of teaching and learning the original languages of the word of God.
Engage fourteen essays from an international group of experts There is little direct evidence for formal education in the Bible and in the texts of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. At the same time, pedagogy and character formation are important themes in many of these texts. This book explores the pedagogical purpose of wisdom literature, in which the concept of discipline (Hebrew musar) is closely tied to the acquisition of wisdom. It examines how and why the concept of musar came to be translated as paideia (education, enculturation) in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (Septuagint), and how the concept of paideia was deployed by ancient Jewish authors writing in Greek. The different understandings of paideia in wisdom and apocalyptic writings of Second Temple Judaism are this book's primary focus. It also examines how early Christians adapted the concept of paideia, influenced by both the Septuagint and Greco-Roman understandings of this concept. Features A thorough lexical study of the term paideia in the Septuagint Exploration of the relationship of wisdom and Torah in Second Temple Judaism Examination of how Christians developed new forms of pedagogy in competition with Jewish and pagan systems of education
Written by educators from five continents, this book offers fresh perspectives on teaching the old Testament today, and addresses problems of Curruculum, context, and communication.
Christian teachers have long been thinking about what content to teach, but little scholarship has been devoted to how faith forms the actual process of teaching. Is there a way to go beyond Christian perspectives on the subject matter and think about the teaching itself as Christian? In this book David I. Smith shows how faith can and should play a critical role in shaping pedagogy and the learning experience.
Bible teachers have an ideal model for evaluating their pedagogy: the Master Teacher Jesus Read through the Gospels, and you quickly reach the conclusion that Jesus was a dynamic, remarkably effective teacher; never boring, always stimulating; never obtuse, always clear; never pompous or distant, always personal and lovingly concerned," writes Roy Zuck Zuck explores Jesus' involvement of students in the learning process, his modeling of truth, his method of responding to questions, his use of rhetorical technique, visuals, and illustrations, and his attitude toward those who sat under his instruction. Zuck covers the Rabbi's overall style and its impact on disciples, the general public, and those who rejected him.
