Vacation Bible School
(In case you didn't read the little preface at the beginning of my last blog, this is the second in a series of four little blogs birthed out of one awkwardly globbish, gargantuan blog. I decided to split them up, but they build on each other, so go read them.)
I did another VBS outside of Mexico at my own church two weeks after returning. Once again: noble, romantic idea. Spreading Jesus' love to children! Wonderful. But it's often so unapplicable to them. Naturally, we try to make it as applicable as possible, because there are elements that seem as if they could be. But they can't touch Jesus, they can't play tag or run around with him. He isn't funny and knowing more about him requires both work and excessive thinking. So although it sometimes works, VBS also easily reverts back to route memorization promted by candy bribes and awkwardly-imposed Biblical connections plastered onto the end of contrived conversations about interesting things. It often seems a desperate attempt to use something that's actually fun or worth talking about to drag kids into Biblical conversations. Much of it seems useless- rather, counter-productive.
Besides that, the truths we teach them don't always seem totally true, especially the way they'd understand them. For example, Tuesday's theme was God's Word Is Comforting and Wednesday's was God's Word Is Exciting. Neither of these things are things kids are likely to find if they randomly open a Bible and start reading it. Personally, I am almost invariably more distressed or confused or lost in unsolvable questions after reading the Bible. It's an effort to find the true meaning (and I'd like to make that effort if I'm going to read anything at all; I misunderstand what it's saying frequently). I sometimes go through three or four English translations and just as many languages just to figure out exactly what it's saying. After that there's dealing with the message, which can be confusing or seem shallow and/or culturally absorbed/hindered, as if the authors are giving a skewed account. Regardless of whether or not they are, the point is that most of it isn't exactly a relaxing, "comforting" read, particularly if you care enough to read it right. For the most part, it's the overall message that becomes comforting when you know enough about the story to understand God's love and grace. And more than that, for kids especially, the Bible is not "exciting." Any kid would fall asleep to just about anything from the Old Testament, and I'd wager most adults would as well. And the New Testament is still a bunch of 2000-year-old history and theology, which (outside of Christianity) are both horribly un"exciting" topics to most.
The issue is that VBS is short enough that it's entirely unlikely to change kids forever, but the program's goal is to change the kids forever. It needs to be recognized that the goal of VBS should be an accurate, positive, memorable association with both that church and the Church that they can take with them, even if they don't remember a thing they learned at the camp. Childhood VBS almost certainly won't be the deciding factor in the younger generation's faith; but like most things kids do, it helps to build a foundation that will impact them for the rest of their lifetime.
I did another VBS outside of Mexico at my own church two weeks after returning. Once again: noble, romantic idea. Spreading Jesus' love to children! Wonderful. But it's often so unapplicable to them. Naturally, we try to make it as applicable as possible, because there are elements that seem as if they could be. But they can't touch Jesus, they can't play tag or run around with him. He isn't funny and knowing more about him requires both work and excessive thinking. So although it sometimes works, VBS also easily reverts back to route memorization promted by candy bribes and awkwardly-imposed Biblical connections plastered onto the end of contrived conversations about interesting things. It often seems a desperate attempt to use something that's actually fun or worth talking about to drag kids into Biblical conversations. Much of it seems useless- rather, counter-productive.
Besides that, the truths we teach them don't always seem totally true, especially the way they'd understand them. For example, Tuesday's theme was God's Word Is Comforting and Wednesday's was God's Word Is Exciting. Neither of these things are things kids are likely to find if they randomly open a Bible and start reading it. Personally, I am almost invariably more distressed or confused or lost in unsolvable questions after reading the Bible. It's an effort to find the true meaning (and I'd like to make that effort if I'm going to read anything at all; I misunderstand what it's saying frequently). I sometimes go through three or four English translations and just as many languages just to figure out exactly what it's saying. After that there's dealing with the message, which can be confusing or seem shallow and/or culturally absorbed/hindered, as if the authors are giving a skewed account. Regardless of whether or not they are, the point is that most of it isn't exactly a relaxing, "comforting" read, particularly if you care enough to read it right. For the most part, it's the overall message that becomes comforting when you know enough about the story to understand God's love and grace. And more than that, for kids especially, the Bible is not "exciting." Any kid would fall asleep to just about anything from the Old Testament, and I'd wager most adults would as well. And the New Testament is still a bunch of 2000-year-old history and theology, which (outside of Christianity) are both horribly un"exciting" topics to most.
The issue is that VBS is short enough that it's entirely unlikely to change kids forever, but the program's goal is to change the kids forever. It needs to be recognized that the goal of VBS should be an accurate, positive, memorable association with both that church and the Church that they can take with them, even if they don't remember a thing they learned at the camp. Childhood VBS almost certainly won't be the deciding factor in the younger generation's faith; but like most things kids do, it helps to build a foundation that will impact them for the rest of their lifetime.
I feel that your criticism of the "truths that we teach them [at VBS] don't always seem totally true" is unfair. Children do not have the cognitive ability to look at the Bible the same way you and I do. Things like "God's word is comforting" and "God's word is exciting" are spiritual milk for children who cannot otherwise understand or receive the message. *You* can read the Bible for yourself in multiple languages. *You* can understand what it says to a certain extent- well enough to at least see that it may be interpreted one way or another. *You* can cross-reference different translations (across languages). The bottom line: you are able to examine intricacies that children cannot, even should not. That is the reason they teach those overall ideas about the Bible being comforting or exciting, even though they don't necessarily put a big disclaimer saying "WARNING: only exciting and comforting holistically." It's not to trick them into becoming Christians at age five, it's to teach the big ideas in order to create a foundation.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, you say that the focus should be "to building a foundation that will impact them for the rest of their lifetime." This is something I agree with- the goal should be to change them forever, but only as being part of the process that will build a Christian foundation that is lasting. Not as something that will transform them overnight. But it is necessary teach basic lessons about the Bible as you attempt to do that, regardless of whether or not your goal is to build a lasting foundation or transform their worldviews in a week.
But will those children remember those messages in a couple years when they're 13 or 14 or 15, open the Bible to be miraculously comforted or excited when they feel they really need it and find nothing? Likely. I did. When they hear that "God's word is comforting," they misunderstand the concept, and I believe this very *negatively* impacts the stability of their Christian foundation over time.
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