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February 2008
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 1 John 4:16
I stopped in on the Senior High School Youth Fellowship recently and saw that a game of "Bible Pictionary" was under way. The student giving the clues had drawn a creditable likeness of Harry Potter and another drawing - a cow in a field. The group wasn't getting anywhere with these clues. The answer was, of course, the potter's field. Disclosing the answer didn't elicit any looks of comprehension. I went on to say that the potter's field was purchased with the 30 pieces of silver for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. With this the students began recalling parts of the passion narrative and fitting the potter's field into its context. It got me to thinking however that somewhere, perhaps close by, another church youth group might be playing Bible Pictionary and getting the answer the potter's field much more easily from less artistic drawings. Further, I began to wonder if the students at the church to which I am appointed are sufficiently scripturally literate. Should they know something so inarguably minor? Do teenagers who know more scripture references know more about faith, God, goodness, and light?
Honestly, I am of two minds. In mainline Protestantism it has always been the best of times and the worst of times for Bible scholarship. Still, minus Bible learning what are we as a church? Pastors have been lamenting the biblical illiteracy of children for generations (as a child, I know I caused pained looks in clergy from my bible illiteracy, and look what happened to me!). Scriptural literacy is indispensable at the same time it is not enough. To paraphrase Seneca, "Some have nothing to show for their discipleship save the number of verses they have memorized."
More scriptural scholarship among our children (golly, throw in the adults) is vital, and yet, there are other important things in the life of faith. For instance, I'm reasonably sure that our high schoolers recognize that we can know far more of God's heart than we will ever comprehend of God's mind. I know they are unlikely to quote Romans 5:8, but I also know that they know that, some-mystical-how we see God's heart in Christ on the cross.
Without scriptural foundations I'm fairly certain faith formation will become, at best, rather vague for most people. Because of this, it is not all right to be scripturally ignorant. And yet, it is not the worst sin of omission for a churchgoer. Even an apostle as thoroughly versed in scripture as Paul recognized that knowledge and prophecy might have their hour but at last it is faith, hope, and charity that abide. In this light I am confident that our children have integrated the gospel message quite well. No matter how many verses they know.
As I say, I am of two minds. I'm still wondering though - how uninformed is too uninformed?
Peace,
Russell (pastor to some of the finest high schoolers in the world)
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