Curriculum

Posted by Chuck on March 22, 2010 under Resources, Teaching | Comments are off for this article

I’ve been doing some research into curriculum recently. While well seasoned church members are well adept at generating their own Sunday school materials, there is an inconsistency in the quality and scope and sequence. The problem is that we tend to teach what we know and like. And while that is “okay” for the teacher, the student might not get as comprehensive a perspective of the Scriptures for a well grounded faith.

For example, one Sunday years ago, I asked my son what he learned in Bible class. He sighed and mumbled, “Noah. Again.”

We are doing a serious disservice to the body of Christ when we allow our Sunday school teachers to “have at it.” I know that there are sensitive areas because “brother-so-and-so has been teaching this the same way for 20 years . . .” Well, my questions to this kind of response are: Has this been effective? Have our children and adults grown spiritually? Do they have a well-working knowledge of the Scriptures? Are those who have gone through “whatever Sunday school curriculum” remained faithful to the Lord’s church? These are some serious questions we need to ask when we try to evaluate any curriculum.

So, with that in mind, I would like to offer some links for reference. Please note that while there are many non-church of Christ resources, I’ve only looked at those connected to the churches of Christ.

The first is Lambert Book House. I remember teaching from this very Biblically conservative curriculum when I taught 5th & 6th grades. It is very textual. Any “excitement” about the Scriptures or “fun” needs to come from the teacher. Any practical application needs to come from the teacher. The curriculum offers little in these areas, although the teacher’s guide does present some ideas for the classroom and activities. But teachers should “teach” and that in itself is a challenge for churches today.  Perhaps more training for teachers is needed, but I digress from our current topic.

Another is 21st Century Christian. I will say that I am impressed with the presentation of their materials, especially the new upper elementary F.B.I. materials. 21CC has pdf samples online for both LifeLinks and NewLife curriculum. You can also easily examine their scope and sequence. Clearly 21CC has invested a great deal of effort in presenting the Scriptures in a fun, yet Biblically conservative way for young people.  Plus, it’s easy for teachers to use.

The Gospel Advocate’s Heritage of Faith for Kids is another curriculum similar to 21CC LifeLinks. Unfortunately, without requesting a sample, there is no way to get an idea of what the material looks like.  I have examined the material and it is good material with a sound scope and sequence.

http://www.lambertbookhouse.com
http://www.21stcc.com
http://www.gospeladvocate.com

Fireproof

Posted by Chuck on March 26, 2009 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

I just realized that it’s been almost two months since I last posted!  Sorry.  I’ve been busy with The Fireproof Movie.  If you don’t know, Fireproof is about a heroic fireman locked in a failing marriage who accepts his father’s challenge to take part in a 40-day experiment designed to teach both husband and wife the true meaning of commitment in this faith-based marriage drama starring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea. It is rated PG.

I showed the movie at church a couple of consecutive weekends in January.  And then in February offered the six week Fireproof Your Marriage seminar/study to the public.  I ordered the materials directly from Outreach and it was surprisingly affordable.  We had a good turn out, with a total of 10 couples (5 from church and 5 non-churched).

Topics during the six week group sessions are:

  • He Said/She Said – appreciating the God-designed differences between men and women
  • He First Loves Us – God’s love for you and how it enables you to love others
  • Love for a Lifetime – marriage as a lifelong covenant
  • Breaking Free – freeing yourself from temptations that can destroy a marriage
  • Forgiveness – offering and receiving forgiveness
  • A Better Way of Loving – unconditional love

The only session I had a theological problem with was session two.  The well-meaning folks at Outreach based the session two on God’s love for us and how if we are to really love one another, then we must come understand and accept God’s love for us.  Of course, the session offered the non-Biblical sinner’s prayer for salvation.  I looked at the “problem” as a way of sharing God’s truth with the class.  While there were no earth-shattering moments in the session, I at least planted seeds for thought.

The Fireproof Your Marriage seminar/study is good for couples at any level of their relationship and is meant to go hand in hand with the Love Dare book.  While the Love Dare book is not needed for the seminar/study, it is the basis of The Fireproof Movie and the premise behind the sessions.

May God bless your ministry as you outreach to others with this timely tool.

Think

Posted by Chuck on February 6, 2009 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

I first heard about Think magazine in the summer of 2007.  I read my first copy in January 2008 and I am happy to say that I’m finally a subscriber.   Think is a very “intellectual” church of Christ publication that I would say is a kind of response to the atheist’s “Skeptic” publication. 

Here is a snip from their site:

“Think deals with difficult topics such as, stem cell research, intelligent design, cloning, abortion, homosexuality and other social issues that affect us as we live in an increasingly perplexed society.1

In these times when Christians are often criticized for supposedly not knowing the “facts” about science Think is a publication no minister should be without!

http://www.focuspress.org

Free Greek and Hebrew Tool

Posted by Chuck on January 7, 2009 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Recently I’ve lamented upgrading my computer to Microsoft Vista, and not because of problems with the operating system.  I actually like Vista – anyway . . . my lament comes from the fact that the program I once used for Hebrew no longer works.  So, I went looking for some free alternatives and found Scripture4all.org  For free I haven’t found anything that comes close – so, if you’re in need of a FREE Greek/Hebrew interlinear Bible program this link’s for you!

http://www.scripture4all.org/

Mobile Bible

Posted by Chuck on January 1, 2009 under Ministry, Resources | Be the First to Comment

Not too long ago a church member saw me playing with my cell phone while another speaker was presenting a lesson.  They wanted to scold me for “texting.”  I then showed them the GoBible and they were amazed.

With all of the games and apps out for cell phones it was only a matter of time before someone made a Biblical application for a mobile.  Here’s three I’ve used:

http://gobible.jolon.org/
This is currently on my cell phone.  It gives you complete search capabilities of the entire KJV.  And after it’s downloaded it becomes an app on your phone, so no network connection is needed.  And best of all it’s free!

http://mbible.com
My next favorite is mbible.com   The only reason this is number two instead of number one is because you need a network connection to use the site.  The site is very simple and easy to use on your mobile, because that is what it was designed for 100%!  You can search for a verse reference, find cross references, and search for phrases.  Why I would use this in addition to the GoBible is because mbible.com offers multiple translations.

http://mobile.biblegateway.com/
A step beyond translations is mobile.Biblegateway.com   mobile.Biblegateway.com  gives you the power of the Biblegateway.com site in the palm of your hand.  You do need a network connection.

With anyone one of these, as long as you’ve got your mobile, you’ve got the Scriptures with you.