Homeschool Bible Study
One of the most often asked questions we see is overwhelmed mamas looking for a simple and sure way to add more to their homeschooling curriculum Bible study wise.
I have a lot of thoughts on why this may be such a harrowing topic for many of us, but I won't go into those here. Suffice it to say that I believe we all should be working to be the best Bereans and theologians that we can be. We should be ready and able to defend our faith in every circumstance. And the Church should be training up parents to feel better equipped to train their families.
And since so many of us feel ill equipped, we also feel afraid of broaching the subject with our children. Of choosing the "wrong" resources, of not being able to discern bad or false teaching wrapped in a pretty bow.
First, let me encourage you to remember to pray. In all our homeschool choices we should be praying for the Lord to bless us with wisdom to choose rightly what will bring our children closer to Him and what will serve them well.
Seek extra time in the Word. Try and find a godly mother further along in the homeschool journey to counsel you.
And above all- remember that the Holy Spirit fills in for everything we lack. Mercies are new every morning, friend.
For our family adding in Catechism and Creeds to our homeschool Bible study is one way I can confidently combat my own insecurities in this area and I can learn alongside my boys.
What is a Catechism anyway?
In its barest form, catechism is a simple question-and-answer format to help believers be able to articulate what they believe orally. But it is much more than that.
There are several Catechisms available and it is not just something the Roman Catholic church practices as I mistakenly thought as a young person. It is an excellent addition to your family and homeschool Bible study! In fact, I'd say it's the best of all bible study tools for beginners.
As far back as Exodus the Lord commands the Israelites to teach their children about the institution, the instructions, and the benefits of the Passover. Multiple times in Deuteronomy parents are told to repeat the Law and the history of the Law, to teach their children about the unity of God, and to instruct their children in the path of righteousness. In the New Testament we are given a shortened version of all the commandments in the all encompassing "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." and "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Learning catechisms is a way to help instruct children and new believers in the knowledge of God. We want our children to know Him and have faith in Him and to desire to earnestly seek Him. (John 17:3, Hebrews 11:6) We want our children to be fertile soil for the Holy Spirit to work on and in. This happens from hearing and understanding the word of God. Using catechisms to help facilitate understanding of the Scriptures is a wonderful way to begin their training.
In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble--because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out. - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Using Catechism and Creeds with Bible Study
As an example, this is the first question from the catechism we are using this year, To be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism. One of my favorite modern theologians, Reverend Canon J.I. Packer, was part of the committee that put it together.
1.What is the human condition?
Though created good and made for fellowship with our Creator, humanity has been cut off from God by self-centered rebellion against him, leading to lawless living, guilt, shame, death, and the fear of judgement. This is the state of sin. (Genesis 3:1-13; Psalm 14:1-3; Matthew 15:10-20; Romans 1:18-23; 3:9-23)
So you get the question, the explanation, and Scripture references to examine as proof.
Simply work on memorizing the question and answer utilizing copywork, memory games, fill in the blank sheets, etc. Then look up the Scriptures, discuss them, and consider having your children put them into their Scripture journals.
Some catechisms to consider:
To be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism
New City Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism
Westminster Catechism
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Luther's Small Catechism
The Ology - is excellent for younger children and to get a good foundation before moving on to bigger discussions.
We use creeds the same way. Creeds also have the double blessing of allowing you to throw in lots of Church history.
The Apostle's Creed came from Roman Christians in the second century, possibly as a critique against the heretic Marcion.
The Nicene Creed was originally created in 325 to address the Arian controversy of the substance of Christ vs the substance of God the Father. In 381 the council met again and revised the Creed to address Apollinarism, another Christological heresy.
The Chalcedonian Creed addresses the nature of Christ, and the Athanasian Creed focuses on the Trinity doctrines and Christology.
Not only are the Creeds worth knowing to help defend faith, but they offer a deeper and more defined heritage of faith to your children. Learning about them is like looking at a family photo album of the Saints who have gone on before us.
Resources for Building Your Family's Faith
First and foremost, you need the Bible. If you don't have any other resources the Holy Spirit will not withhold anything from you just because you can't purchase a study guide.
In fact, sometimes I think we wind up short of funds so He can show us how great He is and how our only real need is Him.
These are some of the resources our family has used and is using currently. We loop through studies, memorizing prayers, morning devotionals, and other resources. This is not a list of things we do each day :)
We use the copywork and memory sets from our shop. These include the Shema, the Nicene Creed, Psalm 23, and the Apostle's Creed as of this writing.
I have been using the Truth for Life devotional this year and really enjoy it. One or two days a week I have it scheduled to share the devotion and the Scripture reading with the boys during our morning time.
Not Consumed Ministry - We love so many of the resources from Not Consumed! Here's a list of what we have used, are using, or have procured to use in the future:
My God Says- the bundle is a great value. The My God Says collection explores 15 different Biblical truths that will help your kids both counsel their feelings and stand firmly on the foundation of God's truth.
ACTS prayer cards - can work as a reminder for your child to come to God in prayer every day. These cards will help guide their prayers and help them go even deeper as they explore God's character in connection with how that truth should affect their life.
Prayer journal - I purchased this lovely journal for me as we proceed into another homeschool year. It's a tool to help me remember not to neglect my own prayer time.
Kids Bible Studies - We have done several of these in the past in the junior version and are now utilizing the youth versions. Studies we enjoyed include Do Right!, Work Unto the Lord, Navigating Friendships, and Foundations of Faith.
Compass Classroom online resources - Modern Parables and How Should We Then Live are both excellent. Because we use several of their academic resources we do opt for the membership which is an excellent value for us.
Those are some of our favorite resources for the boys and I hope to compile a post with my favorite resources for my own faith education and growth soon. Share your favorites in the comments below and have a wonderful week!