A Helpful Bible Study Method

Recently our pastor told us about a helpful Bible study method called arcing.

I started using it and it has been really helpful so far. It is a good tool for understanding the main idea of a paragraph or chapter or a book. And I think it is fun.

If you want to try it, the Arcing 101 tutorial is pretty good. However, it does take 3-4 hours.

The "Anti" Technique to Teaching the Bible

Tim Challies mentioned this interesting technique for teaching the Bible:

This week, in the course I am taking with CCEF, I read David Powlison’s reflections on Psalm 131. And as he teaches the Psalm, he re-writes it as the exact opposite—rather an interesting teaching technique. But rather an effective one, I’d say.

So here is Psalm 131, words I’m sure you know well.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.

And here is Powlison’s anti-psalm:

Self,
My heart is proud
and my eyes are haughty
and I chase after things too great and too difficult for me.
So of course I’m noisy and restless inside; it comes naturally,
like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap,
like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries.

I scatter my hopes onto anything and everybody all the time.

Maybe it would be a good exercise to write an anti parable.