How essential it is to recruit teachers who believe God’s Word to be absolute truth! Also important is the way teachers view truth within that framework. Is it just a book of God’s laws? If so, that will affect motivations. Or, is it primarily a historical account. If so, that will affect perceived relevancy.
Viewing the Bible as Primarily a Historical Account of God’s Work in This World Affects One’s Perception of Its Relevancy
If the Word is absolute truth, then the stories and events contained within it happened or will still come about. The Bible shows God’s activity in the world from the beginning at creation to the events of the end times. Between those bookends are many stories of people whom God used to accomplish His purposes — an historical account of God’s work in this world.
But, if the Bible is viewed as little more than a history book, teachers could have a tendency to teach for factual understanding, possibly leaving students with a more cognitive approach to the Christian life with little relevancy to their everyday lives.
Make no mistake: What God has done in the past and will do in the future is important but there is so much more to the the Christian life than merely knowing Bible stories or the biblical timeline.
Look at the big picture: We need to get to know the God behind these stories and events who is able to accomplish what we read and is bringing about purposes that line up with the essence of who He is. All that happened, or will happen, has an overriding theme that must be captured to understand the relevancy of Scripture for today.
You’ll find the content of this post in the 46-page Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource along with an example of teaching the Bible with this kind of slant, emphasizing why a grasp of the big picture of the Bible is important.
Also check out this four page teacher training resource: What Bible Teachers Need to Know About God’s Word To Help Students Find God in the Scriptures