Scripture Adventures

I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. (Psalm 119:15-16, NLT)

If you have any children in school you’ll be familiar with the word ‘literacy.’ There’s a lot of discussion around literacy rates, how well our children are learning to read and how they compare to other parts of the country or world. Parents are encouraged to read to their children long before they can learn to read on their own because it helps build the foundation for reading. 

I became aware of the importance of literacy when I volunteered for an organization that helps adults learn to read. I also volunteered with a program that helps children in grade 2 develop their reading skills. Literacy gives us access to learning and knowledge. It allows us to independently discover things. It helps us get good jobs, read amazing stories, and know what the signs say in the grocery store. Literacy affects every part of our lives And let’s face it – reading can be fun!

So what about Biblical literacy? What is it and why is it important? Biblical literacy is more than just being able to read the Bible, know the names of key people in it, and being able to name the books of the Bible, although these are part of it. It’s about knowing the stories of the Bible and understanding how they fit together. It’s being able to think about what the Bible says and talk about it with others. It’s about knowing that God’s story tells us some very important things about ourselves (our identity and purpose) and our relationship with him. God’s story is our story! 

Once or twice a year, I teach a discipleship course for children who want to know more about what it means to follow Jesus and become baptized. I can tell pretty quickly the ones who are biblically literate and those who are not. As we talk about concepts like who is God and what is he like, sin and forgiveness, Jesus’ death on the cross and why that is important, the children who have learned the stories of the Bible and talked about them at home can connect the dots a lot more easily and intuitively. I can see the children engaging with the conversation from a position of putting the pieces together to create a more whole picture. The children who do not have this literacy struggle to understand the words and what they mean. They have a ways to go in being able to think about and understand why this is all important for them.

So how many people are biblically literate? According to a study done in 2013, only 11% of Canadian Christians read the Bible at least once a week. That was over 10 years ago – I imagine the numbers have dropped even more since then. It’s pretty hard to grow in our faith and understanding of God if we’re not using one of the key sources that he’s given us. 

As parents who follow Jesus, it is one of our jobs to teach our children biblical literacy. The wonderful thing is that it benefits both of us. As we tell the stories and talk about them, we are also inviting our children to tell us what they see. We grow in it together. We encourage each other. Isn’t that amazing? 

If biblical literacy is a key way for us to grow in our faith and understanding of who we are, who Jesus is, what God is like, and how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus, then we really need to consider how to make this a priority in our homes. It doesn’t just happen – just as learning to read doesn’t just happen. We need to be intentional. If you haven’t started doing this yet, don’t panic! It’s never too late to start growing in biblical literacy for ourselves or our children. 

Here are some ideas.

Learn more about the Bible: Did you know that the Bible is not one book but 66 books? 39 are in the Old Testament and 27 are in the New Testament. There are different genres of writing like poetry, history, letters, and wisdom literature. The amazing thing is that even though there were many authors who wrote over a span of around 1500 years, it makes one whole story that God wants us to know. Learning the names of the books of the Bible can help us understand that there are different parts to this story. Check out this link for songs and activities to make this fun. . Check out this link for more facts about the Bible.

Reading Bible stories together – this can happen at any age. From baby board book Bible stories and children’s versions to translations that are easier to read (like the NLT), there are many resources for you through all of the stages of childhood. And don’t just read the story and close the book – ask some wondering questions like: I wonder what it was like for (main person in the story)? What do you think they thought about God/Jesus? What would you do if it was you?

Memorizing the Bible together – I’ve talked about this before but memorizing short verses up to longer passages or even whole chapters of the Bible is a great way to increase our biblical literacy. It allows us to reflect on it more deeply, pray the passage, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us through it. Consider memorizing Psalm 23 together as a starting point. With younger children you can focus on verse one only and incorporate actions. Gradually add more verses as they get older. Talk together about what it means to think of God as our Shepherd – what kinds of things does a shepherd do? Why are they important? Use your imagination to picture yourself as a sheep being cared for – what does that feel like? Point out that Jesus also calls himself the Good Shepherd (John 10) and read together what he has to say.

Listening to/watching the Bible together – One of the tips of learning the story of the Bible is to take in a whole letter or book at once to get the “big picture” of what is being said. With older children you may want to try using a Bible app, picking a shorter book or letter to start with and listening to the whole thing together. Ask each other what stood out as a big idea? What were some words or phrases you noticed? Did you learn anything new about God or your relationship with him from listening to the book/letter? Another way to do this is watching a version of the gospels, like the LUMO Gospel films where they narrate the different gospels. Asking each other some questions like: What stood out to you from watching this? Did you discover something new or fresh about Jesus?

Biblical literacy is an important part in growing in our faith. God gave us the Bible as a key way for us to get to know who He is and what He’s up to in this world and in our lives. Pray and ask God to help you with your next step of growing in your biblical literacy and passing it on to your children.

Sarah has been Pastor of Children & Families at The Journey Church for eight years. Her passion is to see families growing in their faith with Jesus together and living it out in their homes, neighborhoods, and schools, as well as being deeply connected with their church family. To find out more about The Journey Church ministries go to onthejourney.ca. To contact Sarah you can email her at sarah@onthejourney.ca.