Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Are Videos Creating Lazy Teachers?

I am not apposed to a good object lesson. I am not apposed to the use of visual aids. I think that visual aids can aid in making a point. The question I have is this; are we depending upon video visual aids to teach God's people instead preparing lessons using of old fashioned Bible study? The thing in the Lord's New Testament churches today is the use of videos; videos that contain lesson material, object lessons, and sometimes testimonies.
Many of these lessons are good, however, I am afraid that an unseen danger is creeping upon us. The lessons are taught by those who are not of like order and faith. They use a variety of Bible versions. They make comments such as, "when he joined the church", in reference to salvation. They teach universalism and promote ecuminicalism, but we praise them for being an enormous help in our teaching.
This is my first blog. I didn't want to write too much, therefore I gave you only a small portion of the subject. I did not fill it with scriptures but I did state a few points of concern. Tell me how you feel on this subject. Maybe you use videos in your lessons, maybe you do not. I love pastoring one of the Lord's New Testament churches. I love teaching the members of the church. When I reach the point where I no longer have a desire to teach, then I will turn to the video teachers of the false religions. I will invite them into the Lord's New Testament church and give them the pulpit.
L.L.L.

12 comments:

  1. You hit the nail on the head, brother. When a church relies on the teaching of people who cannot find a true church with both hands and a flashlight, they are in trouble. I might add that there will follow a dumbing down of God's people, as in "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." Any church that follows this practice is in the same shape as the church at Thyatira, see Rev. 2:18-29, with Jezebel teaching in it. Preach it, brotehr.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good question and I believe you are right. Videos from works of none like faith and order has no place within the walls of our Churches, but some video's can be good object lessons too if prepared by sound doctrinal people and not taking the place of Bible teaching and preaching. But lets not just pick on the videoed lessons. Any material prepared by "CHURCHES" outside our work, in my opinion, should not be allowed. I believe the American Baptist Association is the best associated work to be a part of. I believe that over all we are still the ones who stand firm on the principles and biblical teachings of the bible, but sad to say I also believe we are loosing sight of this fact because of the "Programs" of other baptist and heretical works. If I thought the Southern Baptist Lit, was the best I would pastor one of their churches. If I thought that the Independent Baptist had better material I would pastor one of theirs and so on.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just one reason we need some SOUND ABA preachers and/or teachers to create some good sound literature with good object lessons (whether they be games, illustrations, videos, etc.) Pray for me as I seek pastors and teachers to accomplish this goal. I want to see ABA doctrine AND the practicalities of living a godly life in modern schools.

    I agree we need to continue helping students to know the doctrines, but more important than that, how to put them to use. How to study and find that ABA are doctrinally correct, how to study and find out HOW to live a life of love. How to avoid temptations and such. All the doctrines are important and a vital part of our teaching, but if a student knows the 21, yet doesn't know why he believes the 21 or how to live godly... then he ends up going to college and never coming back to our work... what good has the knowledge that the ABA believes the 21 really done for them?

    I don't know about you brethren, but at most churches, it is very rare to see people between age 21-30. If this trend continues, the 20-30 will be 30-40, and then we'll see a gap of 20-40. The gap will continue to expand, and we will end up with VERY FEW of our children today still in the ABA tomorrow. We MUST then teach them not only what the ABA believes, but help them come to the very same conclusions, and to understand their great NEED to stay in God's work through college and life. This is where the current ABA literature fails, or at least has in the churches I've visited and been a member of.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One more thing. We do use a 10-20 minute introduction (object lesson) video with testimonies once every three weeks, but we have also created outlines for teaching instead of the "book". I meet with our teachers every week, and we discuss the different examples they made, and the way they explained the scriptures to their class (which lasts 1 hour after the video, by the way.)

    I must say this. They are absolutely NOT lazy, and the ABA books I've seen have made MANY lazy by just "reading" the book. I think your teacher's laziness depends on their commitment to Christ. An outline and a video has worked for us and is less lazy than MOST ABA church classes I've sat in. But again, I don't blame the books, or the video for laziness, for we must use some method. Again I state laziness is determined by the teacher's commitment to Christ, study and teaching.

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I said "the 'book'", I am referring to the ABA literature book. Our outlines use Scripture and are based upon the Scriptures, reading them in class, and expounding upon them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1st blog...6 comments...impressive. You go you blogging stud.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm pretty sure these time-tags are not our time zone.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Let me expound on the ending of my first comment. It seems I have gotten a phone call. What I meant was if I thought for one second that there was a work outside our work that was "over all" a more doctrinal work I believe I would, if the Lord lead, pastor one of their churches. But I do not believe that. I hold true and firm to the doctrines of this associated work as I believe they are the teachings of the Bible and therefore do not use literature that has material others that what we believe written within it's pages. At the same time I see nothing wrong with putting all ideas of different programs from different churches together and come up with one that we can use as long as what we believe is taught and not the teaching of other works. If I offended a Brother by the first comment that was not my objective and I apologize. I love all brethren no matter if they agree with me or not.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't know how much this applies, but we use hymns written by heretics b/c they have good messages. We use "Lord's Supper tables" (aka communion tables) built by lost men. We use quotes in the pulpit by lost men in introductions to sermons. We use MANY things by people who don't believe as we do, so long as they are true, help illustrate a point or are useful towards our goal.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good discussion. Another concern I have is using books written by men who are unsound. We are told to "spit out the briars." However, I cannot get past a man who says that Jesus' choice of Judas was impeachable and that the apostles launched the church. I know we have enough men in the ABA who are capable of writing on any subject that is needful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If we have enough capable men, perhaps we don't have enough motivated men. Otherwise, I'm sure EVERY instructor at our seminary would choose books written by the ABA authors. But as far as I'm aware, no ABA authors have written on that subject of ordering your private world. Not any good sized books on that subject. Perhaps you should research which seminary courses cover subject which have good sized books written by ABA authors, and then submit that list to the faculty if you feel that concerned over it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Saved men who rejected Jesus. Posting?

    ReplyDelete