About the CFH Bible Study Method

About the CFH Bible Study Method

  It is serious Bible study.

  The goal of Bible study here at CFH is to learn the Bible as thoroughly as possible, and as accurately as possible.

  There’s a huge difference between just reading the Bible and studying it.

  There are many ways that people can study the Bible.  There is the popular “Read The Bible In A Year” method.  There are unlimited ways of doing “Topical” Bible study, for example, studying the Prophets of the Old Testament, Women of the Bible, The Miracles of Jesus, and on and on and on.  There is the method of reading the Bible for memorization.  And I have even heard of recommendations to read the Bible backward.

  Likewise, many churches today simply take Bible study methods that have already been designed by some of the pop-culture Christians.  One example I have seen in a church that I attended was a method from “The Purpose-Driven Church,” by Rick Warren, senior pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.  I am not necessarily comfortable with following Bible study programs that have already been pre-designed, and have been made popular simply on the basis of the celebrity status of certain Christian personalities, personalities who include some people with questionable approaches to Christian doctrine.

  After all, I would say this as well, that professional Bible scholars don’t study the Bible that way.  Not only is it not good scholarly academics to get your Bible knowledge from pre-designed Bible studies, it can also have more of a possibility of contributing a particular biased understanding of the Bible.

  Bible study with CFH does not follow the pop Bible study plans that many churches today follow. CFH Bible study draws upon the best reference resources we can find.  One good method I have found for finding the best reference resources is to learn who the experts themselves consider to be the best sources.  I look to see whose names they bring up over and over.  That has been a good rule of thumb to follow.

  With CFH Bible study, participants are not told what to think or what to believe.  Rather, participants gather their own information.  It is necessary for participants to take notes.  Some charts for gathering information and occasionally other reference materials are provided.

  As the moderator or facilitator of the Bible study sessions, I merely set the course of the study.  I do not consider myself to be a Bible teacher.  I am not a Bible expert by any means.  However, I have learned some techniques for doing Bible study that greatly improve accuracy of Bible study, maximizes objective interpretation, and minimizes or even eliminates as much as possible, subjective opinions.

  To illustrate what I mean, I recall a time when I was trying to discuss various aspects of Christianity with an atheist.  He persisted in making the wildest interpretations of the Bible imaginable.

  I said to him, “You can’t interpret the Bible to say whatever you want it to say.”

  He replied, “Sure you can.  People do it all the time!”

  Well, yes, people do do it all the time – and they’re wrong!

  Many people actually don’t know, in the majority of cases of Bible interpretation, that it’s possible to interpret a selection of Scripture and actually be right about it!

  Sure, some things in the Bible can be interpreted in different ways.  But invariably, those things are secondary issues.  Christianity is made up of central issues and secondary issues.  The secondary issues are open to some degree of variance of interpretation.  But the central issues of Christianity are non-negotiable.

  The way I usually put it is that where it concerns the central issues of Christianity, I do not deal in opinions.

  Identifying central issues and secondary issues is covered within the CFH Bible study method.

  And finally, here is a very important point –

  The Bible study that is done during the CFH live sessions really is where the real fellowship occurs.

  The reason I mention this, and the reason that I phrased it as I did is because what most churches are calling “fellowship” these days, is not really genuine biblical fellowship.  What most often passes as “fellowship,” in churches today should more properly be called “togetherness,” or “camaraderie.”

  Real biblical fellowship is not its own purpose.  For a more thorough explanation of what I mean, please click the tab above and read “True Biblical Fellowship,” or click here.