TesTeq wrote:
Such competitions concerning religion are ridiculous in my opinion. What about "fastest said prayer" competition. Or who loves God most
Thanks for reading my blog, TesTeq, and for sharing your point of view. You did not leave an email address, and I do not know who you are, so I can only respond to you here.
TesTeq, you bring up a legitimate point: we live in a world of extremes and, as with anything, it it possible to take any competition to an extreme - even a Bible quiz.
Please permit me to share with you another perspective - my perspective: To me, the point of the Bible Quiz is not about who's the best for the sake of being the best. The purpose of Bible Quiz is to train and encourage children (and even adults) to develop a better understanding of the instruction in God's Word, the Bible, so that they can apply it in their lives.
The Awana Bible Quiz competition format is simply a tool - one that makes the learning process fun for children and one that recognizes them for their efforts.
Sports fans recognize and reward athletes for their ability to move a ball around a field; The result? athletes are encouraged to work at further developing their skills.
We have spelling and geography bees, national competitions that recognize and reward children for their ability to master spelling and geography. The result? Children are encouraged to study hard, apply what they have learned, and strive for excellence.
The Awana program and Bible Quiz recognizes children for their efforts in studying, memorizing, and applying God's Word. It works.
I hope that you noted that I did not post how the teams did in the Bible Quiz - only the athletics. Every team that competed in the Awana Bible Quiz did exceptionally well. By the way, our team did not win the Bible Quiz; we have much to learn. But we did learn a lot by preparing for and participating in the Awana Bible Quiz. It was a wonderful experience.
It is my hope that as a result of their participation in the Awana Bible Quiz, these children will hide important truths in their hearts - truths that will make all the difference in the world.
I'm glad that you read my blog, TesTeq, and I thank you for your comment this morning. I enjoy discussion.
Eric
Note to other readers of my blog. I believe Testeq has a legitimate question about taking things to an extreme. Happy to continue this discussion as time permits.
Discussion/Comments (7):
Eric,
Thanks for your explaination of the Awana [program] and the Bible Quiz. I used to be in the same type competitions as a high schooler .
They are not for "competing" per se. They serve a higher purpose.
Did Bible quizzing make me a more Godly man? Not necessarily. However, my walk with God is made a little easier by my ability to memorize scripture that I gained in those competitions.
Posted at 04/06/2005 20:10:07 by Jason Echols
There are so many noble ideas that were distorted in this world that I was afraid that the competition you had written about was one of them. I am happy that it was not the case. I hope it helped at least one girl or boy (or parent) to become a better woman or man.
I am from Poland. These days we have a very special, full of inspiration time - we are saying last goodbye to John Paul II - the greatest Pole of our times.
Posted at 04/06/2005 23:04:47 by TesTeq
Indeed, John Paul II was a man of inspiration in many ways.
Best regards.
Eric
PS. Awana is an international organization. There may be events near you. If so, you may find it interesting to observe.
Posted at 04/06/2005 23:47:34 by Eric Mack
i am happy
Posted at 07/22/2008 23:33:26 by rose mary
Thanks, Eric. This is a very helpful post. Jason Echols comment was helpful too. I hope to connect with parents in Awana in our area. I can definitely see the value, and can appreciate the analogies you make here (spelling bees, sports competitions, etc). I still feel a tinge of discomfort, but I'm sure it's all a matter of how you frame and talk about it with the child, and the state of their hearts in doing it. Like everything in parenting, I guess, it's a question of praying for discernment about the core heart issues of your child and shepherding them accordingly. And if you're going to err, I suppose erring while learning the Word is a pretty good way to do it!
Bless you, brother.
Posted at 02/27/2009 13:35:29 by Anthony Pisani
Church youth groups use Bible Quizzing as a great way to motivate teens to study God’s word.
Quizzing is not the goal, but a means to reach the goal.
Posted at 05/22/2009 14:10:04 by Bible Quiz
Indeed. Thank you. And thanks for the link to your site.
Posted at 05/22/2009 14:31:07 by Eric Mack
Discussion for this entry is now closed.