Two Paths

I recently realized one of the reasons why Bible School can be challenging for adults.  The two approaches to studying Scripture vary greatly.  Exposition tries to discover "what the passage is saying," and devotional study attempts to find "what the passage is saying to me."  For some, straight exposition is to bulky and cluttered with references to history, linguistics, and foreign cultures.  For others, devotional study seems too subjective and fuzzy.

As a teacher, I have felt the angst of the students as they desire the opposite they are receiving.  "You need to give us more meat," they might say.  Or "So what does that have to do with me," others might remark.  Keeping a balance between textual and personal can be quite difficult.

In a class I am currently teaching, I am trying to develop an environment that will allow for both.  The students have material that covers both sides of this balance.  I believe that some will gravitate toward both.  Having the material before them, they will choose which is most important to them.  Perhaps this format will give the class an opportunity to discover where they would like the balance to be.  I'm just going to hang on and enjoy the ride.