Introducing the Good Book Bloggers

Over the next few Mondays we thought we’d introduce you to The Good Book Blog team. A little glimpse behind the screen to the people who type away week by week … First:

Helen Thorne, Blog Editor

An unlikely member of the blog team (given that a year ago she’d never actually read a blog post let alone written one and has a general disposition of extreme techno-phobia), Helen oversees the day to day running of the blog at Good Book. Her main role is to bring order out of the many and varied ideas that seem to spontaneously ooze from the creative team members!

A Christian since 1989, she’s worked at Good Book since 1999 which officially makes her an “old-timer”. She has resigned – twice – but keeps coming back and now accepts there is no escape from these hallowed walls.

As well as looking after the blog, she manages the Open Bible Institute – Good Book’s distance learning college. It’s a role she loves because it combines her passion for theology with the opportunity to get to know at least some of the 900 students enrolled on the courses.

When not at work, Helen attends Christ Church Kingston where, among other things, she plays the piano most Sundays. She’s a trustee of Capital Youthworks a Bible-centred youth work charity which runs events like Sorted. She’s active in local politics and is attempting to do a doctorate in the field of teaching parables (though it’s probably not a good idea to ask her how that’s going just now!).

But Helen is probably best known for her irrational love of all things cute … She is regularly mocked for her over-zealous affection for the 3 felines (psycho-cat, dim-cat and barge-puss) with which she shares her home … and rumour has it that it is only a matter of time before she buys her first micro-pig.

Fighting the Monday feeling

Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Psalm 112

This is a wonderful picture of a man who lives for God. Look where his security comes from. Look how it affects his generosity.

Music for musically-challenged youth leaders

There's no getting away from it. Young people do love their music. And when they meet together at youth group they want to sing ... or at least listen to the songs they enjoy. But not all youth leaders share that passion for music. Some don't have a musical bone in their bodies. How can such people lead music with their keen teens?

In this seminar, first given at the Bible-centred youthworker conference in January, Philip Percival from EMU Music gives some top tips for leading music with young people at church.

International Bible studies: FAQs

This final blog on running an international Bible study answers some “What ifs?”

What if...
…there are people of other religions?

Don’t panic. Some will know very little about their religion. Others who are devout will probably appreciate your convictions. All are sinners trying to earn salvation, without assurance of hope or forgiveness. They need the gospel. So don’t worry if you don’t know about other religions. Ask them about their beliefs as topics arise during the Bible-study. Having listened, you can then respond with something like:

“That’s interesting. The Bible/Jesus teaches something quite different…”

Talk about the Bible or Jesus rather than what “I think” or what “Christians believe”. Rather than demolishing their beliefs, allow the clear teaching of God’s word to challenge their worldview.

…no-one speaks?

Language problems: Do they understand the passage and questions? If yes, are they too unconfident to speak in English? Get them to work out answers in pairs before discussing as a group. Or perhaps your questions are too simple. As with Brits, they may be embarrassed to respond when an answer is blindingly obvious.

Cultural differences: Internationals from Asia or Africa often regard teachers as authority figures. Students should receive expertise from the teacher, and not question it. This makes people unwilling to ask questions or reveal their opinions, and stifles discussion! Point out often that questions are good because they help us learn. Emphasise that their questions or disagreement won’t offend you. Allow newcomers to watch discussions and question sessions. Hopefully they’ll see that queries are welcomed, and disagreements treated with gentleness and respect.

…you can’t understand what someone is saying?
It happens to all of us! You can: Apologise for failing to catch what was said. Ask them to repeat it. Ask them to write it down, if possible. Ask someone else who understands to explain. Sometimes nothing works! Laugh at your inability to understand (rather than their inability to communicate). Show admiration and sympathy for them in the difficult task of learning a foreign language.

…someone can’t understand what you say?

• Plan (even write out) what you’ll say—not for reading out during the study, but to check how understandable your English is. Ask someone experienced in working with internationals to identify idioms and words that internationals might not know.
• Write up unfamiliar words and phrases and give plenty of opportunity for questions.
• Avoid asking: “Do you understand?’ People say yes, not wanting to appear inadequate or an inconvenience. Ask instead: “Is there anything that you would like me to explain?”
• Recap lots and often.

Probably nobody will understand everything, but they’ll be happy if they understand most of the study and will enjoy interacting with you.

…you offend someone?
Is it something you’ve said, done or not done? Cross-cultural relationships are ripe with opportunities for misunderstanding. Perhaps someone else (from the same culture?) can enlighten you. Quickly apologise for any offence caused. Don’t criticise their culture or defend your way of doing things. Simply explain how most people will do or understand something in here. Remember, people of all cultures can understand and respond to an apology and friendliness.

But what if the offence comes from Bible truth? Check that they have correctly understood what’s been taught. But remember that the gospel both attracts and repels (2 Corinthians 2 v 15-16). People getting offended may indicate that God’s message is getting through, so be encouraged and keep praying for those who will be saved.

It’s our prayer that through international ministries such as friendship and Bible study, many of us will have the joy of bringing the gospel to “all nations”, right here on our own doorstep.

20% off Close Encounters Starter Pack

This DVD based Bible study series is brilliant for 'non-booky' people and those who want straight forward English.

Presented by Pete Woodcock and Lizzy Smallwood the 4 part series is based in the gospels of Mark and Luke. It introduces people to the person of Jesus Christ and the impact he made on the lives of those to whom he came into contact. The interactive structure allows time for feedback on discussing Jesus' claims and discovering who he really is.

Visit the product page for more information and to see the trailer.

International Bible studies: Application and illustration

In our last post we looked at how to speak, what words to explain and how to phrase questions. This time we address:

1. Application

It's best to avoid terms like “implications”, “significance” or “relevance”. Ask them: If this is true, do you need to change? How?

And don’t be afraid to ask how a particular application might be received in their culture—it helps you understand the influences and pressures that can affect their response to God’s word, and it helps them see how some parts of their culture might be at variance with God’s word.

For example, Jesus tells His followers not to store up for themselves treasures on earth but seek God’s kingdom first. Some people may conclude that the Bible is undermining a very important priority in non-Western cultures—the responsibility to bring as much prosperity as possible into your family. You would need to show that Jesus does not want his followers to ignore their family responsibilities, but neither should our family be the top priority and take the rightful place of God in our lives.

2. Your illustrations

It's a good idea to ask yourself if each illustration would be easily understood by someone from a different culture. An illustration that needs a lot of explanation loses its effectiveness, and may cause confusion. Avoid mentioning…

• western politicians, sports stars or celebrities, unless they are hugely well known. In fact, with older people, or those from non-western societies don’t assume they’ll know even celebrities like David Beckham or Madonna.
• news stories, TV programmes, or books / films—most language-learners don’t get into TV soaps or serials, go to the cinema or read in English for leisure, because it’s not relaxing to do these things in a second language.
• British history, institutions or customs and phrases that come from them eg: D-Day, the football pools, cricket (for people from non-cricket-playing nations).

3. Prayer

Truly Christian prayer will come as a revelation to internationals from a non-Christianised background. It’s revolutionary­:

• the idea that you can address God as your Father; the need to pray in the name of Jesus Christ
• the fact that you have no set pattern of words, but can converse with God, much as you would with them
• the lack of any holy place or posture or accompanying rituals
• the content of truly Christian prayer, with its emphasis on seeking God’s glory, thanksgiving, confession and repentance, rather than simply a shopping list of requests.

Leading in prayer is a great thing to do at some point in an international Bible-study. Why not explain what you are about to do, especially if there are newcomers present? Reassure people that they don’t have to pray themselves if they don’t want to, but can simply watch. Keep prayers fairly short and simple—use words and truths that they have learned in the Bible study. You could pause after each sentence, allowing people to add silently their own prayers. Internationals don’t generally feel uncomfortable or get offended when Christians pray.

Finally, next time… FAQs

International Bible studies: Leading well

In order to lead Bible studies well, you’ll need to give extra thought to how you ask questions, give illustrations, make applications and use words.

Think about...

1. How you speak

Speak slowly and clearly, but remember they’re language-learners—not deaf, nor children—so be careful not to speak with an exaggerated volume or intonation. Keep your face turned towards them and don’t hide your mouth behind your hands so they can lip-read as well.

2. Difficult words

When preparing, look carefully at the words and concepts that appear in the text which may not be understood (or correctly understood) by people whose first language is not English. Think about…

• Names of Bible characters—even major ones like Abraham or Moses—or places or nationalities.
• Special “Bible words”—for example, the phrases “born again” or “eternal life’’ would easily be misunderstood by someone from a religious background that teaches reincarnation. There are heaps of examples. Their meaning may seem obvious but people who are new to the Bible will need them to be repeatedly explained.
• Everyday words that they probably won’t have come across, eg: “threshing floor” or “wounds”.

3. Your questions

• First, people need to understand what the passage says before they can discuss if it’s true or what it means. So don’t skip the questions that ask what happened, why, who was involved, what responses there were etc.
• Keep questions short and simple. If necessary, break one question into several. Eg: instead of asking: What is Paul’s understanding of God from Acts 17 and how does it differ from that of the Athenians? try phrasing your questions like this: What did the people in Athens believe about God (verse 23)? - Did Paul agree? - What did Paul say about God in the following verses? - v24 (2 things) - v25 (2 things)
• With the question include the verse number where the answer is found. That’s because skim reading is a skill that requires quite an advanced level of English. This may feel like “spoon-feeding” but it’s a vital help for language-learners.
• For a starter activity, you could relate the passage to people’s experiences. Eg: with the story of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, ask them how her condition would be handled in their culture. This helps you get to know people better, helps them feel that you’re interested in them, and perhaps highlights possible misunderstandings.
• After reading the passage, find out what they really think: Does anything surprise you in this passage?
• Stick to the passage if possible. Occasional cross-references are ok but not too many.
• Don’t try to cover the whole gospel in one Bible-study—you won’t succeed anyway. It’s better that they understand one point clearly and want to know more, and so keep coming back.
• Recap at the beginning; summarise at the end. Why? Because it’s much more difficult to remember what you’ve learned when you are doing it in a second language, and you’re also unfamiliar with the Bible.

Next time… illustrations, applications and prayer.

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