When Lynn and I could not attend church regularly, we were able to catch sermons on TV. However, participating in a Sunday School class and learning more about God’s word were something we both missed. Being part of a small group and studying a specialized topic independently can bring valuable insights into the subject.
Need to Understand the Bible
I believe, based on some of the studies I’ve read, that we could benefit from examining the Bible itself to understand how the culture of the time and historical events align with the biblical narrative. Many in our current culture feel the Bible is inaccurate and outdated. I believe that we should be able to accurately explain to anyone who asks how we know the Bible is true, based on its contents and how it aligns with historical evidence.
Church-Wide Sunday School
With that in mind, I would suggest a Bible-based class that incorporates historical evidence of the Bible’s validity, made available as a church-wide Sunday School for everyone’s participation. If you need assistance with historical evidence, I recommend starting with Lee Strobel’s Case for Christ.
Three Options
Here are some ideas on how to do the class. You could offer it in any of the following three ways:
- Post the content completely online in a chat or blog format using a church app or Facebook page. Members could reply with questions or comments in the reply section. The presenter could moderate and respond within the time frame set for the post to be open.
- Schedule a Zoom conference call for a specific date and time, accommodating the number of people who sign up. The presenter can see everyone, but the viewers will likely be limited to those asking questions. It would be an interactive class. The session can be recorded and viewed by anyone unable to attend in person.
- The person presenting the class would send out a Sunday School class presentation at the beginning of the week. During the week, multiple small groups would meet and discuss it either in person or virtually. Questions that the groups could not answer among themselves could be submitted to the presenter (as set by the presenter). Participants would receive the answers the following week on the day and time set by the presenter.
For any of the above, the content can be archived for those who are unavailable to participate, allowing them to view it later. The beauty of the program is that the number of participants is limitless, and the location is not a factor. Accommodation for those with medical limitations is also available, since they are viewing from home.
Many Don’t Know the Bible
I encourage you to incorporate more Bible-based content into your educational programs, based on the studies I’ve read. I’ve interviewed several young people who confirmed what I read. They stated that they knew very little about any of the religions but felt that Christianity was old-fashioned, out of date, and didn’t understand their generation.
Question Bible’s Accuracy
There are many reasons why we need knowledge of the Bible, but one of the most important is that studies show that many people under the age of 30 do not believe the Bible is accurate. They do not believe God or Satan is real. They believe the story of salvation is just a story. We must be able to convey it convincingly, because if we don’t understand it ourselves, they will never believe us.
