Dialectic

When I teach a class, whether in Sunday School, Discipleship Training, or whatever, the technique I most often use is to ask a series of questions leading to a specific conclusion.

The first questions are ones I know the participants know the answers to.

Then I progress to the tougher ones that get to the point of the lesson.

This style of teaching would be disallowed in a court of law because it would be considered "leading the witness."

But in a class setting it really encourages discussion and gets a lot of people involved.

Here's the key: The questions must be adjusted to the group. If you do that, it does not matter the age of the group, they can get involved.

Suppose I am teaching John 3:16 "For god so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

I might begin with such an elementary question as: Who inspired the Bible?

Usually this gets the response: God.

Someone in the class will know that.

Then I might ask: Did He do it recently, or a long time ago?

"A long time ago," someone will say.

By now people are beginning to relax, thinking, "This is going to be easy. Maybe even boring."

Next, I'll ask something like, "So how long is everlasting?"

"Forever."

"OK, good. What does 'forever' mean?"

Usually this gets a few brave souls to try to venture an opinion or two which we will discuss long enough, but not long enough to flush it out completely.

The next question I might ask may be something like: Where did you get that idea? Did you just think of it or did someone tell it to you?

That question is a pivot point.

It is a question I think we should be asking more often, of ourselves and others.

Question: Where did evolutionists get the idea that things in the universe evolved?

Answer: They were taught it by someone.

Question: Why did you believe them?

Answer: (either) 1) They're the teacher. or 2) They are certified by the State of Florida to teach, they MUST know what they are talking about.

Aside: This begs the question, "How come 30% of public education students in the State of Florida, every last one of whom was taught by a 'certified' teacher cannot read their own diploma?"

The point of all of this is that most people either have no respect for learning at all, or think that everything they are taught is absolute truth, even when they are taught that there is no such thing as absolute truth.

Very few people are able to be independent thinkers.

Sadly, that includes Christians.

Most Christians spout the "party line." They regurgitate the doctrines, philosophies and beliefs of whoever it was who taught them, as long as that person was personable, funny, charismatic (in the Biblical, not the denominational sense of the word), or some combination of the above.

It is grevious that so few really delve into God's Word to learn it well enough to apply it to their actual lives.

Even if they do, they try to take bits and pieces, here and there, and form some kind of life-view that is void of the point(s), principles and ultimate teaching of the Word.

Most of all, they tend to see Scripture as a rule set by which people, especially others, are to be judged.

They fail to relate every word, jot and tittle to the person of Christ.

Yet He is the whole point. There is no other.

I urge you to learn to think independently of others, while learning from their input, but dependent on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

I implore you to study the Word, not for its history (though that is important, of course), not for its sociology (though that is important, of course), not for its science (though that is important, of course), not for its psychology (though that is important, of course), not for its philosophy (though that is important, of course), but for its revelation of God in Christ and His claim on your life.

You will be astonished at the difference it will make.

Don't you think?