Upcoming Online Courses Focus on Biblical Education, Interpretation
Nov. 28, 2021 – A pair of upcoming online courses from BeADisciple.com will focus on Bible education, with enrollment open now. “Teaching Adults” and “Biblical Interpretation” are two-week classes that will begin in January.
The courses’ instructor, Rev. Beth Perry, has more than 30 years of experience in the pastorate and has taught these classes multiple times each year for the past six years.
“One of the things that has happened during the past couple of years is that the number of Bible users actually has gone up,” Perry says. “Research by the Barna Group shows that as COVID-19 took over, there was a drop in the proportion of Americans who never use the Bible, down from 35 percent in 2019 to 29 percent in January 2021. But my experience also has shown that church leaders and teachers often struggle to effectively help persons in Bible study.”
“Teach Adults” is a technique course, focusing on how to best capitalize on each person’s learning styles. The first week outlines generational characteristics, multiple intelligences (innate ways in which a person learns), influential factors, stages of development, and the role of the teacher. Learners also look at mission statements, spiritual development, and the classroom climate. In the second week, participants explore learning hooks and teaching methods (such as storytelling), develop mission statements, and create lesson plans.
Both new and experienced teachers enroll in the class and participate in the online format. “Because everyone responds to our discussions, it’s a much richer, fuller education than you would get in an in-person course without input from quiet people,” Perry adds.
“Biblical Interpretation” is all about context, Perry says, recognizing that there was a context for the original writers of Scripture, context for us, and context for all others across time who have (or will) accessed the Bible.
“This is designed for people who really enjoy digging into Scripture, who love hearing what people hear in the Scripture and learning from that,” Perry says. “It’s for people who love words and looking at multiple meanings, people for whom the intellectual element of faith is part of their spiritual journey.”
The required textbook (which is read before class begins) asks key questions about Scripture, readers of the Bible, and how those two interact. It explores the interpretation method and gives examples of its application.
“As Bible usage continues to go up, we want our learners to have access to the tools to make both teaching and learning Bible more meaningful,” Perry concludes. “These two classes do just that.”
More in-depth information and enrollment information on “Teach Adults” and “Biblical Interpretation” is available at BeADisciple.com under the course schedule. Barna research can be found at barna.com/research/sotb-2021/
BeADisciple.com is a ministry of the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship, which is dedicated to is dedicated to providing Christian resources and education that build disciples and strengthen ministries. More information is at InstituteforDiscipleship.org.