Effective Bible Teaching

by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit

Shows teachers how to develop the "big idea" of a passage, improve their classroom skills, and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods.

258 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Dr. Ryken has served on the faculty of Wheaton College since 1968. He has published over thirty books and more than one hundred articles and essays, devoting much of his scholarship to Bible translations and the study of the Bible as literature. He served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible and in 2003 received the distinguished Gutenberg Award for his contributions to education, writing, and the understanding of the Bible.

He is the father of Philip Graham Ryken

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a short book, this book is packed with very useful information about how to teach the Bible. It is geared primarily for Sunday School teachers, with an emphasis on adult classes, but it can be adapted to any setting as the tips the authors provide can be transported easily to any setting or classroom.

My only suggestions for improving this book are: to provide more examples, and write a conclusion. Many times the authors make their point and then move on, whereas I was hoping they would include a sample passage to demonstrate how they apply what they are writing about. To be sure, there are examples in the book, but the book would be stronger with more illustrative examples. The omission of a conclusion is a bit strange and it makes the book feel like it just runs out, rather than ends.

This is a good book with loads of practical tips. It doesn't take long to read and a teacher can easily find multiple tips that will stimulate their thinking on how to teach. By applying the tips the authors teach, anyone who is currently teaching ought to find their teaching enhanced, and anyone getting ready to teach ought to feel more confident before they set foot into the classroom.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always either teaching a Bible class or working on creating Bible Class Curriculum, so when I saw this book I thought it would be helpful for me to become a better teacher. It ended up being a little less practical for me in teaching young children, but would definitely be great for teachers of adult and teen classes, and it helps with personal Bible study, too. It really is excellent in many ways.

I took notes to use as I write lessons and look to be better at teaching. Basically this book gives the following “Keys to Improved Teaching” - Focusing on the Bible Itself (knowing the genre of the writing and understanding it in context), Teaching the Big Idea (knowing the theme of the passage), Using our imagination to understand the experiences and images of real life, Interpreting the Meaning of Bible Passages properly, Bridging the Gap (Make it a two way journey from our world to the biblical passage and then back to our world), and Teacher training (we can all be better if we are trained.)

The best quote: A teacher is “a travel guide through the Bible, traveling with students through life, accompanying them with the Word thought their journey and becoming a friend in the process.”
I hope I can be that to my students!

[Josh Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an older book (I think it was first published in the 80s), this has some great, up to date and practical insights. Good not just for the teacher of the Bible but for someone looking to learn how to study better. Good stuff on how to approach the different Biblical genres, and how to get your hands dirty doing some personal Bible study as well.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff.

Jim Wilhoit and Leland Ryken, Effective Bible Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1988).

Part 1 Effective Teaching
Part 2 The Methods of Effective Bible Teaching
Part 3 The Bible We Teach

[Veda Sorrells]

As usual, this is for a class. I found it very informative.