Lesson 2: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Doing the Bible Study...

First, I muse: Sitting here in the office, working on this study, I’m reminded of that old object lesson about the frog in the pot of water. You remember the one: if you try to put a live frog in a pot of boiling water, he’ll jump out (smart frog!); but if you put him in the water when it’s cool and slowly raise the temperature, he’ll be unable to perceive the danger and he’ll be cooked to death. I know what you’re thinking - you’re thinking that I’m going to make some great connection to the study of the Word, to sin, or to some other really cool spiritual thing. But I’m not. Nope. I’m simply reminded that this room is very HOT, but if you get in here in the morning and heat up “with” it (like the frog), you don’t even notice it.

Oh, I suppose I’ll make a spiritual connection before we’re through…so be patient.

Second, I apologize: I think in hindsight it would have been better for me to wait until summer to start the study, but I was just too excited! As a result, I got us off to a rocky start last month, and I apologize for that. When I was helping Mom clean out her garage a couple of weeks ago, we found a piece of paper she used to use to “help” her with her busy life: it had daily schedules, so to speak. Things like, “Monday: wash sheets; Tuesday: dust knickknacks; Wednesday: vacuum…” You get the idea. Bottom line: it appears I come by my need to really-sit-down-and-plan-my-days naturally! Thanks, Mom! :-) Now, if I could only find my to-do list!

Third, I thank: THANK YOU for your perseverance and patience with me and with this study as we’ve tried to get it off the ground. For what it’s worth, I am SO thankful for each of you and for the way that you are sticking with this. Also, the praying thing – I was so encouraged by it, and I hope you were, too. In fact, I agree with Trish - I think we should make the praying thing a regular part of our study! We can post prayer requests here, or if you want to keep them more private, just do it through the email.

Fourth, I remind: Just a quick recap of our “routine” (can you call it a routine if you’ve only done it once?):

1. Read the Blog Post. Where else will you find my scintillating wit?

2. Download and try to complete the study within the first two weeks.

3. Try to post your responses to the “Think About It” questions by the end of the second week. Use the “comments” section on the Blog to do this. You may also post other thoughts/comments/questions, etc.

4. Use the third week to check back and comment on responses left by others.

5. The original #5 was “rinse and repeat,” but I’m going to change it to “pray for each other.” You don’t mind, do you?

Finally, I get to the point: I was just about to tell you that this lesson was an “introduction,” when I remembered that I told you that last time! Uh-oh! Problem is, it’s true! It IS an introduction – to the first “official” section of our study of systematic theology: Bibliology. I know you’re probably thinking: “When does the ‘real’ study start, sister?” Hah! Fooled ya! You ARE studying – I’m just so good at writing these that you hardly notice it! :-) You think this “introduction” is tough? Wait ‘til we get to the seven theories of Inspiration! Yeah! How d’ya like me now?! Look on the bright side: Chafer’s entire Systematic Theology is 2,300 pages. Haha…Bob…sucker! The abridged version we’re using is smaller, but it still uses a lot of Chafer’s arcane language. So, if you ever get to feeling like there’s too much to read, just remember the number 2,300. That’ll be our buzzword for when we start to feel the pain! :-)

So, if you’re ready to get to work, click here to download Lesson 2. When you're ready for the Key, click here. And, of course, if you just want to get all this from the Breadcrumbs site (or if you need the .docx file), click here.

Oh. Were you hoping I’d come back to the boiling frog thing again? Well, your patience shall be rewarded! As I was doing this study, I found myself reminded of how often I take for granted what I know about the origins and structure of Bible – especially having been raised in a Christian home and attending Christian schools all my life. And I realized that, in a way, I’d become like that frog – just sitting there, oblivious to my surroundings, unable to see anything from another perspective...not for lack of desire, but for the sheer laziness of it. This part of the study sort of took my frog-self and threw it into a pot of already-boiling water…and bam! I shot straight up! I started looking around…looking at things from a new angle…and realizing that there is a lot more going on with this Book than I’ve ever noticed before. And I’ve made the decision to stop letting myself be cooked in the juices of my own complacency, and instead get in there and really find the new and refreshing truths the Bible has to offer.

And incidentally, according to the Internet, that whole frog-boiling thing doesn’t really work in real life, so no crazy homeschool science experiments, please! :-)

Talk to you soon!

Lesson 1, in which we read a lot and answer only a few questions.

SORRY for waiting so long to post again…If you’re keeping up with my crazy life, you know that I was on Jury Duty for SEVEN weeks. It was amazing to me how tired I was at the end of each day! Anyway, I have concluded my civic duty, and am ready to get back on track.

Here are my opening thoughts, in no particular order:

…Chafer notes that “acquiring the knowledge of the spiritual content of the Bible is a lifelong task.” I hope it doesn’t take us that long to do THIS study! :-)

…Systematic Theology is a huge topic.

…It’s okay to be a little nervous. I know I am.

…Pass the chocolate. Oh, wait. That’s a whole new train of thought. :-)

Okay, this lesson covers both the Preface and the Prolegomena; the main distinction between the two being that the first one introduces the book(s) as a whole, and the second one introduces the specific study of theology. Chafer’s definition of prolegomena is “what is said before the main subject is discussed” (37), but both sections are being covered together in this lesson because they are both introductory in nature.

How to do this study:
I told you last time that I’d lay down the “instructions” for how to do the study and how to interact online, so let’s talk about that right now.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we’ll run on a three-week cycle. For those of you keeping track, that’s more than once a month, but less than twice. Hopefully it’s short enough to keep you from forgetting what we’re doing, but long enough to keep you from bailing out because you’re oh-so-busy. Yeah, I’m calling you out. :-)

Step 1: Read the Blog post: I’ll blather on for a while in the initial post: you know, try to give you an introduction, crack a few jokes, give a pep-talk, etc. Then, once you’ve read the Blog post, download the lesson and get to work, sister! In case you’re wondering, it’s not practical for me to post the whole “lesson” in a Blog post, so that’s why I’ve set them up for you to download. Plus this way, you can do the lesson from wherever you’re most comfortable. That’s right - no excuses!

Note: If you set yourself up as a “follower” of this Blog, you’ll be notified when there are new posts. This, of course, means you are my follower, so that makes you, um, “Kristians…” [pause for lightning bolt strike!] Hey, I said I’d crack a few jokes; I never promised they’d be GOOD jokes!

Step 2: Download and complete the study during the first two weeks. You can “check your answers” by downloading the Key, but don’t cheat. Cheaters never prosper.

The studies do require you to read, by the way. In fact, they are mostly reading with a few questions thrown in to keep you from falling asleep. If you think there’s too much reading, consider this: I could make you read Chafer’s Systematic Theology all by yourself, but instead I’m doing the heavy lifting for you. I’m just that nice. I’m reading the book and creating the study from what I read. Besides, a little reading never hurt anyone. Mostly.

Step 3: Throughout the lesson there are sections called “Think About It!” Post your responses to these questions by the end of the first two weeks (or sooner, if you finish sooner… overachiever). Use the “comment” section on the Blog post to do this. Don’t feel like you have to be as verbose as I am, but don’t skimp on your comments, either. Consider that your comments serve as a tremendous encouragement for everybody doing the study.

Note: DON’T post your answers to the Study Questions (just the “Think About It!” questions), but DO use the “comments” as a place to ASK questions if you need help or got stuck on something (or the Key didn’t make sense).

Step 4: Use the third week to check back and comment on responses left by others. (We can “talk” to each other that way…remember: it’s interactive.)

Note: If you want to be notified (by e-mail) when people comment, let me know and I’ll add you to the list. Otherwise, just check back often during that week.

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat. My goal is to post the next lesson at the beginning of the fourth week (which would technically be the first week of the next cycle, but I don’t want to confuse you…). If something is going to prevent me from getting the study up on time, I will let you know so you don’t have to wonder. For example, I’ll tell you right now that I’ll have the next study posted on time (May 31), but the one after that will probably be about a week late because the Mister and I are going on vacation. If you’re smart, you’ll take your vacation then, too! :-)

Okay, that’s about it. If you’re ready to proceed, click here to download Lesson 1. If you need to download it in "docx" format (why - because pdf isn't good enough for you?), you'll have to click here to be taken to the magic-download-site. When you're ready for the key, click here..

Talk to you soon!