- Home
- Community
- News Blog
- Resources
- Journals
- Events and Training
- About Us
- Contact Us
Ways of Engaging with Scripture
Display in alphabetical order | Display most recent first | Display most viewed first
A video-text Bible product
Published by: WatchWORD Productions
"My daily appointment with my Bible has come alive since I discovered this video Bible. God not only speaks to me as I see the words of scripture but hearing them read keeps me concentrating."
The WatchWORD Bible is an example of a video-text Bible product, where you hear can the Bible read and see the text on the screen against the background of quality video photography.
The combination of seeing and hearing aids concentration and memory. [more...]
How the Bible can be Relevant in all Languages and Cultures
Authors: Harriet Hill, Margaret Hill
Published by: Piquant
"Clear, simple and readable - very practical, fully supported with further reading ... exactly the kind of thing that is needed."
Chris Wright, Langham Partnership
A tried and tested resource that encourages meaningful Bible use in multi-lingual contexts through both written and oral media. [more...]
Advocacy for SE | Bible Reading | Churches | Music and Worship | Bible Study | Change Dynamics | Children and Youth | Drama | Bible Storying | Marketing and Distribution | Bible Preaching | Workshops | Meditation and Prayer | Research Tools | Trauma Healing | Memorising Scripture | HIV-AIDS | Bible Translation | Literacy | Language Issues | Culture and Contextualisation | Books
Author: Dick Hohulin
A Bible study method which minimizes the spoon-fed approach and encourages the individual to learn for himself.
Dick Hohulin describes a devotional Bible study method which was used to great effect in the Philippines. It is simple and enables the student to easily comprehend the basic truths in the Scripture passage and to make a relevant personal application of the truths to his life. He lists the questions used and an example of their use with 2 Timothy 2. [more...]
 | from International Mission Board Link: Buy from IMB Store Coloured storying cloth with 42 pictures, designed for use in West Africa for chronological Bible storying. Includes a flier explaining the stories displayed on the cloth. |
Communicating effectively to non-readers
Author: Rick Brown
Published by: International Journal of Frontier Missions (21.4 Winter 2004)
In seeking to free ourselves from the biases of a print-oriented culture, we need to consider, not only the kinds of media and discourse genre (e.g. narrative) that are most appropriate for oral cultures, but also the most effective ways to use those genres and media. What do non-readers like to see and hear? What do they enjoy listening to? Their choices will not necessarily be the same as those of print communicators. If the styles of presentation are ones which oral communicators prefer, then they will be more likely to listen, to understand, and to remember what they hear.
In this paper, Rick Brown argues that oral cultures have their own preferences for ways to communicate truth, and that these are often different from what print-oriented people prefer. In order to share the message most effectively, we need to find out what media and methods work best for them. In most cases this will include a multi-media approach with an emphasis on memorizing the Scriptures with the aid of high-quality recordings from skilled actors or voicers. [more...]
Link: Article on IJFM website
A method for studying the Bible
Author: Peter Blowes
Published by: The Briefing, Issue 364 (January 2009)
The philosophy behind this style of Bible reading is to promote good observation of the text, group participation and self-guided discovery. Each person has the opportunity to discover for themselves what God says. In principle, no-one answers the questions unless they are about something simple, like the meaning of a word. The idea is that the questions motivate investigation on the part of the person who raised them.
This article describes the Swedish Method for studying the Bible. It requires a minimum of resources and preparation, encouraging people to engage with the Scriptures directly.
After reading the passage aloud, the participants of the group go over the passage again, looking out for three things: [more...]
"The Bible reading plan people love to complete"
The Essential 100 Challenge (The E100) is an effective Bible reading program built around 100 carefully selected short Bible passages — 50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament. It enables people to get the big picture of God's Word and in the process develop a daily Bible reading habit.
The passages are usually one to two chapters in length and can easily be read in 10 minutes or less. The E100 Challenge takes a reader through all of the major types of biblical writing including Historical books, Poetry and Wisdom Literature, the Prophets, the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles and Revelation.
The programme was pioneered by Scripture Union in the USA where it is now a joint project with American Bible Society. Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany and Argentina are implementing or planning nationwide E100 campaigns. [more...]
Author: Fr. Luke Dysinger
Published by: Valyermo Benedictine
Lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.
The reading or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day.
Fr. Luke Dysinger outlines the steps in the ancient art of Lectio Divina:
- Lectio - reading/listening
- Meditatio - meditation
- Oratio - prayer
- Contemplatio - contemplation
He explains how Lectio Divina can be used in private, as a group exercise and as a reflection on life. [more...]
Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) is the process of encountering God by telling the stories of the Bible. In CBS we tell Bible stories without interruption or comment and we tell them in the order that they happened in time. Afterward we discuss each story and its significance for our lives. Each story builds on those that came before; as a result, the overarching message of the Bible becomes clear and we discover our own place in God’s story.
This site (the sister site of Orality Strategies) is designed to provide the CBS resources you need in order to introduce people to the Christian message or to help existing Christians grow in their spiritual lives. The same basic process can be used to start new small groups or to plant churches. [more...]
How to Communicate Velcro Truth in a Teflon World
Authors: Avery T Willis Jr, Mark Snowden
Published by: NavPress (2010)
"It thrills me to use Bible stories because I am actually telling people the Bible. I don't tell them some scholar's viewpoint or describe an ivory-tower argument. I let the Bible speak directly to them instead of depending on others' interpretations. The Holy Spirit interprets and applies the Bible to people's lives when we engage them with questions."
This book encourages us to "make truth stick like Velcro in a Teflon world" by using Bible stories, dialogue, drama, and songs to make disciples like Jesus did.
The focus is on the North American context, to reach the digital generation and the millions of Americans who can't, won't, or don't read. [more...]
