Coming up for air & verse tests
(Program Note: This was written on Friday afternoon)
I don’t know about y’all, but this has been an extremely difficult week for me.
At least four, maybe five tests, and a paper. One of the aforementioned tests was a Bible doctrines verse test: We were supposed to regurgitate every verse we (should have) learned throughout the semester. That’s about a full-page, front and back to memorize, perfectly. Some of the verses are familiar; others are not.
It’s quite difficult.
In fact, it got me thinking: Why do teachers require the verses to be recited word-perfect?
Lest you think that this is just whining, let me give you an example: If, in a verse, a student should write “Christ Jesus” when the verse says “Jesus Christ,” that counts as an error, and the student is penalized.
Now, the differences between two translations of the Bible–or even two of the Greek source texts–include such minor variations as meaningless word reversals. One Greek text might read Jesus Christ; another might say Christ Jesus.
So, the BJU student is required to be more accurate than the Bible itself.
(Why yes, I did get a bad grade on the test. How could you tell?)
A friend of mine has a problem with the concept of verse tests in general: His opinion is that such tests encourage taking verses out of context in spiritual arguments. These tests, he believes, condition the student to use verses that support his or her case without considering the surrounding verses.
And he might just have a point.
March 7th, 2005 at 7:01 pm
No, memorizing verses doesn’t encourage proof-texting. Proof-texting comes from poor exegetical method and a weak grasp of biblical/systematic theology. What memorized verses DO encourage is accurate presentation of what the Bible says.
That said, those tests could be brutal. I advise (if possible) getting Dr. Shumate for anyone else reading this. His presentation of verse tests was much more forgiving than Dr. Miller’s.
March 8th, 2005 at 7:45 am
I agree with dtalbert — memorizing verses in itself doesn’t encourage taking things out of context unless the teaching that came with it did so. It is nice, though, to memorize passages rather than single verses.
As for exact wording in tests — I think primarily that is the standard for grading. It would be awfully hard for a teacher to discern how to grade the verses objectively if he had to weigh every variation.
March 8th, 2005 at 3:50 pm
I concur.
The memorization doesn’t itself encourage taking verses out of context. However, I do think that it is good to read the verse in context at some point in the memorization process. (Instead of just looking at the specific verse to be memorized.) That way, you have a better idea of why the author wrote that verse.
Yes, the reason teachers require word-for-word memorization is for objectivity. While your example of “Christ Jesus” versus “Jesus Christ” is quite slight, other differences are more subjective. Also, unexact memorization can lead to problems in interpretation if the verse is recalled from memory. I’ve seen that happen when in theological debates/discussions. A person will remember a verse slightly off, making it fit his/her position a little more neatly. The difference may not make much difference for the overall point of the verse, but it can lead to misapplication of a verse’s minor points.
That said, I feel your pain. Throughout elementary and high school, our verses had to be word-for-word correct. Most of my teachers also counted off for spelling or punctuation mistakes.
March 9th, 2005 at 7:22 am
I have a little more trouble counting off for punctuation since that’s not “inspired.” But, to grade they have to have a standard to go by. And sometimes a comma in the right place does make a difference in how the verse is interpreted, so I guess I can see why they do it.
March 10th, 2005 at 12:13 am
I agree that the tests would be a nightmare to grade if it were left up to the grader’s subjective judgment. And sometimes it really does make a difference. Even a misplaced comma can totally change the interpretation of a verse. (Trust me; I’m an English teacher.:wink:) While those were not in the original, I believe in most cases they were put there by someone who knows a whole lot more about how to interpret the verse than I do.
March 10th, 2005 at 8:21 am
Heh. OK. I lose.
March 12th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
Memorization is not abad thing, regurgiation is. I believe we have to know the Bible in it full context, not justa few verses here and there. The Bible is NOT written in English.