And even more textbooked

Today at school something happened that I feel makes the way the Bible's used even more textbook like and even less like God's Word and the guide for our lives it's supposed to be. I've had enough problems with the way our Bible classes are run, which I've discussed in previous posts, but now they've taken it even farther.

I've been told that our Bible classes are "academic" rather than "devotional" which ends up resulting in more of that Bible-is-a-textbook feel, which is understandable, I just think a heavier emphasis on the devotional part integrated into the academic part would be much better than what our Bible class is accomplishing now. But now, even our devotional Bible lessons, which we have in chapel every Tuesday, are being turned into academic things. Today, we received a quiz on yesterday's chapel message. WTHeck? If they don't do this every week and it doesn't affect our grades, then I understand completely, as it would be primarily to see if kids were paying attention in chapel, but if they choose to continue it and cause it to affect our grades, they're just forcign us to try and memorize what we believe are the key points of a message or whatever we think they might put on that quiz instead of focusing on what God has for us in the message. Now, I realize that there are probably very few kids who do actually caer about what God has to say to them, but still, that's where the focus should be. No one's going to want something that's shoved down their throat for them, and I feel that where this is heading.

On a sidenote: I find it utterly pathetic that I can honestly say that I don't believe there are many kids in my highschool ((which is a Chrsitian high school)) that are even very interested in God at all. I can think of 3 people that I consider to be good Christians and someone I would want to resembe in my spiritual walk, and a few more that might be more into God and closer to Him but just not as open and salient about it, which could just be how their personality portrays them, because I feel that's where I am. I love God with everything I am ((or at least I try to)), but I wouldn't think that it shows so much that everyone would mention it as something prominent about me. I'm not trying to hide it or anything, it's just that my personality leaves me either taciturn or acting completely weird and just having a great time being unusual.

Back to my main topic. I don't think we should be quizzed on our chapel messages, and I don't like how our Bible curriculum seems to turn the Bible into more of a textbook than anything else, but it's what I'm leaving with, so I'm gonna force myself to deal with it.

--SF