Josh Gibbs - outside reading

At that same classical, Christian conference, I picked up a written lecture from a former teacher of mine, Joshua Gibbs. This 20 or so page document was entitled, “How to Teach Bible to 8th Grade Boys.” Josh outlined the way he teaches his class in this document, and some of his class structure brought to mind what we had discussed in this class - specifically what we had discussed about religious stories in oral cultures. 

In his eighth grade Bible/theology class, Josh decided not to teach about different doctrines or get into the weeds of theology. He decided to simply read the Bible out loud to his students while they sat there and listened. The students were not even allowed to have a bible open in front of them during his readings. At the end of the class period, the students were required to write a detailed summary of what they heard in their personal journals. Josh’s philosophy for this class was that 8th grade boys do not typically read their Bibles in the morning. They are not familiar enough with scripture to talk about deep theological matters. He decided that the best way for them to grow in their knowledge of the Bible was not to read it, but to listen to it being read. This is very similar to how religious stories were passed down from generation to generation in oral cultures, like the tales of the rainbow serpent in Australia, for example. 


March 22, 2022

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