We are all aware of the growing phenomenon of biblical illiteracy, and I sometimes hear people who minister in churches complain that the mammoth proportions of the problem make it difficult to teach and preach because it is necessary to keep things at such a basic level.
One of my classmates from DTS days, Mitch Maher, has set out to address this problem. He has developed a basic over-view of the whole Bible called “Clarifying the Bible.” You can check it out at www.clarifyingthebible.com. Mitch was discipled by Tommy Nelson of Denton Bible Church, and I know him from our days together in a Hebrew Exegesis elective. He is a clear and likable communicator, and he knows his stuff. The year we graduated, Mitch was chosen by the faculty to preach in chapel, and one of our profs told me his sermon was one of the best he had heard in the DTS chapel. He now pastors Fellowship Bible Church of Jonesboro, Arkansas.
At the website, you can check out a preview video that will give you a taste for what the DVD looks like, and if you are looking to host a conference, Mitch’s contact info is available.
May the Lord use Mitch and this project to turn the tide of biblical illiteracy in evangelical churches!
Pastors, who often cite that people say they lack the time to read the Bible, can also use Audio Bibles to get their people in God’s Word. Faith Comes By Hearing records uses Audio Bibles to reach American churches and disciple the nations around the world. Actually every member of a church can get a free Audio Bible as part of their You’ve Got The Time project. Check it out at http://www.FaithComesByHearing.com
The amazing thing is that we continue in the same old, worn out, tired methods of teaching. Lay people get the vast majority of their biblical input from a Sunday morning sermon. We funnel people in and then we talk at them. Secular educators discovered long ago that teaching is not the same as telling. And yet we persist in just that approach and then wonder why people have no idea what God’s word says. Most of the people I know have been in the church for 30+ years and we have to give out page numbers for the text because they can’t find the book of Amos (or any other book).
Church leaders often respond with, ‘Yes, but we also use small groups in our church.’ Problem is, where do we get the leaders/teachers for those small groups? From the same group of biblically illiterates that sit in our pews every Sunday morning.
The Church today is no longer an institution of education. It is an institution of entertainment. This has been a problem for thirty+ years. Denominational agencies, Christian universities, para-church groups and pollsters have shown this.
When the church decides that knowing God is the greatest need of our lives (and when local pastors set aside their need to be popular), only then will we see change.
As one who was discipled by Mitch Maher, I can honestly say that the content of this DVD helped to change my life. Mitch took several of us through this material, and the reason it is now out on DVD is because it makes the Bible come alive like nothing else I have ever seen. I became so excited about the Bible after going through this material, I became determined to go and learn more. Now I am obtaining my second degree from Dallas Seminary, and after preaching in numerous venues across the southern U.S., I can honestly say that this material changed my life. Thanks Mitch, for your hard work on this project… it thrust me into a lifetime of ministry, and for that I am eternally grateful.