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Effective Bible Teaching
Why does Bible study flourish in some churches and small groups and not in others? In this updated edition of a trusted classic, two Christian education specialists provide readers with the knowledge and methods needed to effectively communicate the message of the Bible. The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the "big idea" of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1988
60 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
James C. Wilhoit
20 books7 followersJames C. Wilhoit (PhD, Northwestern University) is the Scripture Press Professor of Christian Formation and Ministry at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he has taught for thirty years. He has authored numerous books, including Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 13, 2019
There were a few things I did not fully agree with, but I found it to include many helpful reminders and good advice.
January 13, 2025
An excellent resource for the aspiring teacher or the veteran teacher that continues to hone their craft, Wilhoit and Ryken wisdom shines bright throughout this book. There is much to appreciate and glean on from both authors from preparation to engaging students to do’s and don’t’s when teaching. I appreciated Ryken’s section towards the end on the literary devices and themes found throughout Scripture which brings another component in teaching Scripture.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
October 14, 2024
A good book on teaching the Bible.
Wilhoit and Ryken begin by noting that many churches today are weak in their teaching due less to presentation and more strategy and planning problems, among which there are 7 culprits: inability to come to grips with a Biblical text, excessive confidence in publishes materials, too many facts and too little meaning/weaving of details into life-changing concepts, misconceptions about the Bible, overloading students (eg. with too many facts and/or undefined theological terms), trying to do too much in one session, and ineffectiveness in doing what the authors call "bridging the gap" (i.e. teaching what the text meant to the original audience and what it means to us today).
The authors then go into some educational theory, opining that students must themselves be motivated to learn and need to be engaged, not infatuated – teachers can do no more than guide the activity of the pupil and put the teaching content on the table. However, there are things that a teacher can do to help students learn better. These include placing an emphasis on comprehension rather than simple recall of facts, communicate clearly (even leaving a good portion of material out for the sake of clarity), challenge students (and not being too quick to answer their questions or settle controversy in class), and always keeping focus on the "big idea" (thus overcoming the lack of focus that plagues so much Bible teaching). The authors submit that the ideal teacher is a guide – an expert of the journey, who plans the trip beforehand, who is both a fellow participant and an instructor, ensures good personal relationships within the travelling community, and above all, view themselves as servants. Good teachers have a passion for people, for the truth, for study and learning, to share what he/she has learned, for practical application, and above all, a passion for God.
Wilhoit and Ryken then spend almost all the remaining 11 chapters going through how to unpack Biblical passages. They first go through the importance of going through literary form and genre and how this both allows one to look at a passage accurately and also begins to uncover a preliminary unity in the passage, mainly through structure. The teacher should next explore the theme(s) of the passage, first identifying them through a thorough understanding of a passage and reliving of the text, then picking out one (where a passage embodies multiple themes), and formulating a statement of the big idea from there. The theme should be brief enough to be manageable, broad enough to cover the passage, but not so broad such that it is detached from the passage. The thematic unity will complement the structural unity of the passage in ensuring coherence and focus in the study.
The teacher next interacts with the text and interpret it – beginning by observing/describing the passage as literally or factually as possible before making more interpretive statements about its meaning, through considering its theme, the text's central concern, and following research into the cultural and historical context. The teacher must then help students "bridge the gap" between the world of the Bible and our own world, through methods such as stating the details of the biblical text in our own language (eg. Elijah suffered burnout, Joseph faced the temptation of an affair), finding modern counterparts for details in the text (eg. retelling Jesus' parable in Matt 20 as a teacher who gave every student an 'A'), and/or identifying the recognisable human experience in the text (eg. the depression and loneliness of the psalmist in Ps 102). This then leads neatly into application.
Wilhoit and Ryken then go through, in two chapters, how to lead inductive bible studies, i.e. a student which emphasises "the process of careful and controlled discovery". It brings students through 3 main movements: observation/description (what does the text say?), interpretation (what does the text mean?), and application (how can the truth of the text be practiced?), through the use of questions. Good questions are precise, thought-provoking, and can be answered, and are (at least somewhat) open-ended. The authors note especially the importance of separating between observation/description and interpretation questions, with the former being narrower and more focused on accuracy, and the latter being more free-flow with more room for diverse opinions. The former should always precede the latter.
In contrast to inductive bible studies, Wilhoit and Ryken also goes covers directed Bible studies (which has advantages of its own, such as passages that demand careful attention to background details), where the responsibility falls on the leader to "open the text" for the group, teaching the students and taking them through background information, observation, interpretation, and application.
Lastly, the last few chapters of the book go into the teaching of different biblical genres – stories, poetry, and other genres such as proverbs, satire, visionary writing, and epistles.
Overall, I thought Wilhoit and Ryken accomplish a lot in a relatively short book (only about 180 pages), going from the more abstract questions of first diagnosing the problems with Bible teaching today and how teachers should see themselves to the more concrete issues of preparing for a lesson/study and how to actually lead one. I would recommend Wilhoit and Ryken to Sunday school teachers and cell group/Bible study leaders alike, especially if one is new to teaching ministry and is looking for a book which covers both the 'bigger' questions of Bible teaching and more 'grounded' issues as well.
Wilhoit and Ryken begin by noting that many churches today are weak in their teaching due less to presentation and more strategy and planning problems, among which there are 7 culprits: inability to come to grips with a Biblical text, excessive confidence in publishes materials, too many facts and too little meaning/weaving of details into life-changing concepts, misconceptions about the Bible, overloading students (eg. with too many facts and/or undefined theological terms), trying to do too much in one session, and ineffectiveness in doing what the authors call "bridging the gap" (i.e. teaching what the text meant to the original audience and what it means to us today).
The authors then go into some educational theory, opining that students must themselves be motivated to learn and need to be engaged, not infatuated – teachers can do no more than guide the activity of the pupil and put the teaching content on the table. However, there are things that a teacher can do to help students learn better. These include placing an emphasis on comprehension rather than simple recall of facts, communicate clearly (even leaving a good portion of material out for the sake of clarity), challenge students (and not being too quick to answer their questions or settle controversy in class), and always keeping focus on the "big idea" (thus overcoming the lack of focus that plagues so much Bible teaching). The authors submit that the ideal teacher is a guide – an expert of the journey, who plans the trip beforehand, who is both a fellow participant and an instructor, ensures good personal relationships within the travelling community, and above all, view themselves as servants. Good teachers have a passion for people, for the truth, for study and learning, to share what he/she has learned, for practical application, and above all, a passion for God.
Wilhoit and Ryken then spend almost all the remaining 11 chapters going through how to unpack Biblical passages. They first go through the importance of going through literary form and genre and how this both allows one to look at a passage accurately and also begins to uncover a preliminary unity in the passage, mainly through structure. The teacher should next explore the theme(s) of the passage, first identifying them through a thorough understanding of a passage and reliving of the text, then picking out one (where a passage embodies multiple themes), and formulating a statement of the big idea from there. The theme should be brief enough to be manageable, broad enough to cover the passage, but not so broad such that it is detached from the passage. The thematic unity will complement the structural unity of the passage in ensuring coherence and focus in the study.
The teacher next interacts with the text and interpret it – beginning by observing/describing the passage as literally or factually as possible before making more interpretive statements about its meaning, through considering its theme, the text's central concern, and following research into the cultural and historical context. The teacher must then help students "bridge the gap" between the world of the Bible and our own world, through methods such as stating the details of the biblical text in our own language (eg. Elijah suffered burnout, Joseph faced the temptation of an affair), finding modern counterparts for details in the text (eg. retelling Jesus' parable in Matt 20 as a teacher who gave every student an 'A'), and/or identifying the recognisable human experience in the text (eg. the depression and loneliness of the psalmist in Ps 102). This then leads neatly into application.
Wilhoit and Ryken then go through, in two chapters, how to lead inductive bible studies, i.e. a student which emphasises "the process of careful and controlled discovery". It brings students through 3 main movements: observation/description (what does the text say?), interpretation (what does the text mean?), and application (how can the truth of the text be practiced?), through the use of questions. Good questions are precise, thought-provoking, and can be answered, and are (at least somewhat) open-ended. The authors note especially the importance of separating between observation/description and interpretation questions, with the former being narrower and more focused on accuracy, and the latter being more free-flow with more room for diverse opinions. The former should always precede the latter.
In contrast to inductive bible studies, Wilhoit and Ryken also goes covers directed Bible studies (which has advantages of its own, such as passages that demand careful attention to background details), where the responsibility falls on the leader to "open the text" for the group, teaching the students and taking them through background information, observation, interpretation, and application.
Lastly, the last few chapters of the book go into the teaching of different biblical genres – stories, poetry, and other genres such as proverbs, satire, visionary writing, and epistles.
Overall, I thought Wilhoit and Ryken accomplish a lot in a relatively short book (only about 180 pages), going from the more abstract questions of first diagnosing the problems with Bible teaching today and how teachers should see themselves to the more concrete issues of preparing for a lesson/study and how to actually lead one. I would recommend Wilhoit and Ryken to Sunday school teachers and cell group/Bible study leaders alike, especially if one is new to teaching ministry and is looking for a book which covers both the 'bigger' questions of Bible teaching and more 'grounded' issues as well.
April 7, 2022
The book is thorough, perhaps too thorough for me as a lay person. Let me explain.
The book insinuates that its designed to help bible teachers teach lay people how to study the bible. The issue I have is the terms and categories presented in this book are so numerous and technical, they even admit to needing an educated familiarity with the terms they're using. Perhaps the education is high-school level, but as a 35 year old, I don't remember studying any of these terms.
Now, to the studied, this book is a great resource, if you don't have trouble with the content's flow. The flowing was confusing as many of its topics were mentioned and then said to be discussed in later chapters. Some chapters felt like a mesh of differing thoughts, constant repetition, and an unclear picture of where the topic was heading. To be fair, however, it could just be I am not disciplined enough to recognize the flow and pattern of the book. This could be an arbitrary complaint.
However, if you got your notes and you're wanting to learn how to break down biblical literature into its genre, themes, motifs, etc., it is an excellent book! It will certainly teach you to go straight for the author's intention within the specific genre of literature, and start from there to the application for us today.
Mixed feelings, mostly because I'm probably too lazy to do the heavy lifting.
The book insinuates that its designed to help bible teachers teach lay people how to study the bible. The issue I have is the terms and categories presented in this book are so numerous and technical, they even admit to needing an educated familiarity with the terms they're using. Perhaps the education is high-school level, but as a 35 year old, I don't remember studying any of these terms.
Now, to the studied, this book is a great resource, if you don't have trouble with the content's flow. The flowing was confusing as many of its topics were mentioned and then said to be discussed in later chapters. Some chapters felt like a mesh of differing thoughts, constant repetition, and an unclear picture of where the topic was heading. To be fair, however, it could just be I am not disciplined enough to recognize the flow and pattern of the book. This could be an arbitrary complaint.
However, if you got your notes and you're wanting to learn how to break down biblical literature into its genre, themes, motifs, etc., it is an excellent book! It will certainly teach you to go straight for the author's intention within the specific genre of literature, and start from there to the application for us today.
Mixed feelings, mostly because I'm probably too lazy to do the heavy lifting.
March 6, 2024
This book systematically makes the case for improved Bible teaching and then explains how the reader can be part of what the authors clearly see as a problem in the American Church. I'm using this as a text in one of my classes this semester and it is resonating with my students. Their attention is all the endorsement you can want. Highly recommended.
October 14, 2023
great introduction to the subject
Book was extremely informative with great examples; easy to understand. Would be helpful if authors updated to include comments on using online study tools.
Book was extremely informative with great examples; easy to understand. Would be helpful if authors updated to include comments on using online study tools.
February 10, 2019
This book was very informative. I appreciated how the author included suggestions on how to incorporate the subject at hand into the classroom or Bible study group.
November 29, 2022
I love this primer on "Big Idea" exposition for the teaching/ Bible study leader context. Good insights here!
January 20, 2016
Hyvä perusopas Raamatun opettamiseen. Ehkä kuitenkin kirjoitettu enemmän maallikolle, joka vetää raamattupiirejä kuin teologille. Itselleni kirjasta oli siksi hyötyä vain kolmen tähden verran, mutta jollekin toiselle kirja voisi olla neljän tai viiden tähden arvoinen. Parasta antia olivat loppupuolen luvut, joissa käsiteltiin miten Raamatun eri kirjallisuuden lajeja tulisi opettaa. Kaikkea ei pidä käsitellä saman kaavan mukaan, vaan runous, kertomukset ja opettava aines opetetaan eri tavoin ja metodein.
August 11, 2014
This book should have been titled "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth Plus Some Teaching Tips." There are some good material like understanding different biblical genre, principles of interpretation and so forth (which are all very important), but I was hoping for more practical instruction on how to actually teach the Word. The authors only give very broad and simple principles on teaching. The book reads like a textbook and it is pretty dry.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews