RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 22032, 18 May 1935, Page 4

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By For. ward,]

Religious education should load to a growing sense of relationship to God, to a definite commitment of the will to Him in obedience and trust. PROBLEMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS. We have received from Mr A. W. Reed, of Wellington, the second volume of ‘ Problems and Achievements,’ published by the firm of A. H, Reed. This new quarterly magazine contains accounts of ways in which Sunday school workers have approached and overcome the problems of their work.-and is written in the hopes that it may help others to overcome their difficulties and solve their problems. It is well worth reading by every teacher. In this issue a good deal of space has been given to the problem of the junior church organisation. INTEREST AND ATTENTION. Picture to yourself a class of lively boys 12 or 13 years of age. As the lesson progresses one of them, whom we will call John, with the uncanny knack for causing mischief so common . in boys of that age, manages to fold up a piece of paper under his heel in such a way as to make a snapper of, it. “Snap, snap!” Soon the members of the class have lost all interest in the teacher and what he is saying, and can hardly restrain their mirth at the seeming innocence of the boy with the snapper under his heel. “ John, would you mind going to the board to write something for riie?” said the teacher in a voice that betrayed no feeling of annoyance and carried with it no reprimand. Immediately the inattention was stopped, and the class was back at work again. As one went from the foom at the close of the lesson period one could not help feeling that one had been observing the work of a teacher who understood how to handle boys and how to meet the problems of attention and interest which continually face one in a class. In the first place, he knew that one cannot hope to hold the attention of a class when there are distractions in the room—things which the members of the class may use at mischief makers, interruptions by officials or other outsiders, interesting and unusual noises from other parts of the room, and so forth. As far as possible all such sources 6f distraction and inattention must be removed. Again, attention that is secured by harsh command, by the ringing of a bell, or by some other such sudden means is attention that lasts for but a short time. It is ndt the sort of attention which the teacher desires—attention to the subject in hand—but is rather a further distraction. The annoyance of the teacher centres the attention upon himself and the fear of the punishment; the sound of the bel} centres the attention upon the bell. At the very best attention gained by such means is given enlv by an effdrt of will on the part of the members of the class, arid cannot be lasting. There are times in every class session when it .is necessary to have the pupils thus exert their wills, but every teimher should strive to make those times as. few m number as possible. ' . } . . The fullest and most real attention can be secured only when the work of the class makes such afa appeal , to the interest of the pupil's that they give attention spontaneously. In other words, the teacher must she to; it that the subject matter of the lesson, the manner in which it is handled, and all other details of the lesson period are brought into vital relationship with the actual life, interests of the boys or girls of the class. In that way. and in that way only, can the problem of attention be fully solved. \ . . . Boys are interested iri doing things, jn sharing the work of the class. Use was made of this native interest in the case cited above, when the boy was asked to go to the blackboard to make his contribution to the common effort. As one observes the teaching that is done in many Sunday school classes one does not wonder that often there is inattention- One listens to abstract discussions about events which happened years ago, with no attempt to find a point of contact with present life and interest. , Attention would be called forth much more spontaneously by a concrete use of the splendid stories of the Bible as illustrative material*.of how men and women in days gone by faced the problcms ef life and conduct which pur beys and girls are facing today. One listens to vague moralising about virtues in general ( instead of gripping stories used to-give real instances of conduct, good or bad, arid the results which followed srich conduct arid will fellow it iri the HvCs of boys arid girls to-day. If we find that we are faced with the problem of inattention, let us set ourselves to a more careful ( study of the interests and past experiences of the members of Our class, for there we shall discover a'treasure store of ways to hold attention; let us set ourSelvCs to a more careful preparation of our lesson, so that at every stage it may have vital points of contact with the actual problems and experiences of our pupils; let us give thought to having in all our work variety and change. In a word, let us strive to win the attention that springs from the real interest of the pupils in the work which we are doing with them. Such attention can he won only as aH our work is rooted in a real understanding of the boys and girls with whom we have to deal.—Rev. G. F. Dewey. _ THE LESSON AND ITS PREPARATION. The Sunday school lessons have been very carefully selected, and they all fit together into a programme for Bible study. From year to year the line chosen is followed. Those who faithfully prepare their lessons- for each Sunday are becoming more and more proficient in Bible knowledge. Faithful study of the lesson material is essential to successful work. No one can expect to impart a message who has not first thoroughly grasped its truth. The mind must become saturated with the truth as presented in that Scripture selection. Get a thorough mastery of the facts.. Get all the light upon the Word which you can secure. Find out what it taught, and what were the circumstances under which the same was taught. Reconstruct the situation as it appeared in the narrative or epistle. Try to find out what truth is imparted and how those who first received it understood it. In this way we are saved from many of the fantastic interpretations often current. Never lose Sight of these two things: (1) What did the writer want to say? (2) What did those to whom he wrote understand by what he said? To learn these things we have to consider the literary form in which. the message is expressed, whether poetry, prose, or apocalyptic. In our quest for truth we have to examine the medium through which that truth is revealed.. To interpret the apocalyptic as prose leads

us into as great danger as to treat poetry as prose. When we' have ■ arrived at the thought which the first readers received* or the first hearer* understood, we can then judge what there is in it for us who live in these distant times, and under “jnodern conditions. . . So, the study of the lesson is a most important thing. It is the bringing out of. it the message 'which was first; received from it, and the bringing out of it what there is for us to-day. For instance, Paul was asked by the Christians of Corinth what they were to do regarding the meats offered to idols.Did this spoil it as a Christian’s food?. This was a serious problem _in those days. Many knew, said ; Paul m answer, that an idol was nothing m the world, and therefore in itself unable to contaminate the fcmd. It did not, therefore, make any difference to the meat to be in the idolatrous service. Those who knew this could keep on using such meat and for them personally there was no problem. But all Christians did not know this. born* thought the idol had power to deni® the meat thus offered. Their conscience forbade them usmg the meat, and they were hurt when they saw other Christians partaking* of such food. Paul therefore advised the stronger believer to abstain for the sake of the weak. One would, therefore not cause hurt to the feelings or scruples of another, even if he knew that those scruples were not well Out 6 of this the Apostle taught the duty of abstinence the sake of others, a principle which will never grow old as the ages pass The wise teacher will get this unfading principle in all its undying glory out of such lessons, and impress it in a practical way upon his class. He will get this by finding out what Paul wanted, to say, and what and to whom he jeaid it understood by his.-words.