I had a great time with my exegesis class this morning. We're studying I John, I Peter and James together and I'm trying to teach them how to work with a text exegetically. It's quite a challenge because the class includes women who have only got a year 7 or 8 education through to university educated women, and from those who work in pastoral ministry through to women who haven't really thought about ministry at all. So, not only do I have to be incredibly accessible (while still being challenging enough for those who are totally on-board), but I also have to work at applying different things in different ways, so that everyone feels the relevance of what we are studying.
We're half way through the course now and they handed in their first piece of assessment today, which they've all done well in from what I can see so far. So, I'm feeling good about the course, which I often don't because the lectures are three hours long and by the end of them everyone is exhausted.
But today was fun. They are really getting the hang of finding the main point of the passage in the passage and have started to be comfortable with me asking them to argue their case (rather than wait for me to produce the 'right answer'). And in the process I get to challenge their thinking more, which means that better learning takes place.
Today we were looking at I Peter 5:1-4, and in verse 4 it talks of the 'crown of glory' being a reward for faithful service. One of the women was so uncomfortable with this and thought that really the relationship with God was sufficient. We shouldn't need any other reward or indeed look for any other reward. So, I had the privilege of upsetting her world view by asking her what this verse was doing here and whether Jesus had any reward in mind when he suffered and died for our sins. (And when she didn't think so, upsetting her even further by quoting the passage which speaks of Jesus' attention to the 'joy set before him' in going to the cross. One of the other women was scandalised that such a passage could be in the Bible and strongly disagreed with it!) She's going to take it up with her minister and pastoral team, she told me afterwards....
I'll miss teaching when we go to Oxford. It takes so much energy but it is worthwhile in ways I never expect.
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5 comments:
It never ceases to amaze me how often people feel the need to determine, or adjudicate, on the suitability of ideas found in the Bible. I get uncomfortable sometimes, with some things, but deciding that they shouldn't be there because it doesn't fit with my view of what should be in there is mind-boggling!
CNG
Yes! I agree. It's all about where you stand I think - you either stand under the word or over and against the word. It's scary really to decide stuff shouldn't be there - ironically, i think the only safe place is under the word.
PS: I think you're web-name should be 'Synergy'. Do you like it? Do you have an alternative? (Your lovely wife has condemned herself to a less fortunate name, having enjoyed the earthmother encounter far too much and needing some kind of payback (which she won't ever get from Earthmother herself)... Her name is 'Cuddlepie'. I just haven't found a context to use it yet).
Where on earth did you get 'Cuddlepie' from??!!
Mrs G
Oh, it was funnier at the time. Still is at rare random moments. But you probably have to be there...
:)
i think itis VERY funny.
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