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“Americans need to read the Bible. Even more, they need to study it. It is the cornerstone of freedom, the foundation of idealism, and the modus operandi of abundant living.”-Billy Graham
Judah Bible Curriculum is a Principle Approach Bible study guide for all ages. The Principle Approach is an educational philosophy with methods designed to build liberty-sustaining character in both the teacher and the student. As such, Judah Bible Curriculum is not a traditional workbook-type Bible study, but rather a method that will assist you in learning to study the Bible yourself, and then impart that learning upon your students. The goal is Biblical literacy for the purpose of building Godly character in yourself and in your children.
Your Bible is the textbook.
This curriculum is designed so that every year, the Bible is studied, from Genesis to Revelation, not necessarily studying every chapter of every book, but rather studying according to 5 themes. The 5 themes include:
Theme 1: Creation (Genesis 1-11)
Theme 2: The Plan of Redemption Begins (Genesis 12 — Ruth)
Theme 3: The Kingdom of Israel (1Samuel — Malachi
Theme 4: The Kingdom of God (Matthew — John)
Theme 5: The Early Church (Act — Revelation)
Themes are divided so that the Old Testament is studied in one semester, and the New Testament the next. Each theme is divided into several “Keys” — Key Individuals, Key Events, Key Institutions, and Key Documents. For example, for our first Theme–Creation–lasting 5 weeks, these were our weekly Keys:
Week 1: Key Institution –God is a Trinity
Week 2: Key Document — We were created in the Image of God
Week 3: Key Individual — Cain and Abel
Week 4: Key Event — Ark — Salvation
Week 5: Key Event — Tower of Babel
Themes are taught in a 6-year cycle, with different Keys presented each year. The idea is that as students get older and more mature, the Keys are studied in a deeper manner, teaching age-appropriate character and self-government. The student learns the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the personal responsibility of the individual, as well as the relationship between individual character and national liberty.
Throughout the Bible study, a Notebook is developed, using “Key Sheets”. The Key Sheets are designed so that scripture is studied and ideas are analyzed, categorized, discussed, and recorded. Both teacher and student will develop their own Notebook. Younger children may use coloring sheets or draw what they are learning, while older students are writing their thoughts and observations in a structured manner, all the while learning to understand cause to effect and considering life application.
To give you an idea of what a Key Sheet is, I will describe the Individual Key Sheet for you:
A 8.5×11 sheet of paper is divided into 4 columns, with these headings — God’s Preparation of Individual, Godly Influence on Individual, Godly Character Development, and Contribution to God’s Purpose.
As we studied Cain and Abel, for instance, we filled in each column according to what we studied in the scriptures, in Genesis 4.
God’s Preparation for Abel — Abel was a shepherd (we discussed what it meant to be a shepherd, what the work ethic would have been like, and we read Psalm 23 about how the Lord is our shepherd).
Godly Influence on Abel — Abel sacrificed the fat portions of the firstborn of his flock to sacrifice to God (we discussed the significance of bringing our very best before God and how Abel did that out of love and obedience).
Godly Character Development — we discussed how the above information let us have a peak at Abel’s character (we discussed the character traits of obedience, attentiveness, and industrious).
Contribution to God’s People — we ready Hebrews 11:4 (By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith he still speaks, though he is dead.) and discussed how our lives can have an affect on future generations.
Going on to contrast Abel’s life and character with that of His brother, Cain, showed us the importance of obedience to God and self-government. Cain lost his freedom to live in the presence of God because of his lack of self-government and resulting disobedience. We also discussed the difference between being a believer who sins vs. an unbeliever.
How often have we read this story and simply talked about murder, rather than really digging into the real meat of this portion of scripture? This curriculum really enables you to dig deeply into the Word. Even your younger students will come away with a greater knowledge of Biblical truth, rather than a just a “Bible story”.
I mentioned the use of Notebooking the Key sheets with this study and wanted to tell you more about that. The Notebook is not simply a place to take notes about your studies. It is a tool to be used for reflection and will become a treasury of your Bible study.You can read more about this Notebooking approach on the JBC website. In addition to the weekly Key sheets, we also added drawings, maps and copywork to our Notebooks.
The Scope and Sequence gives you a map for grades K-12. I found this chart very helpful in planning out our schedule. In fact, I chose which keys to study for our Creation Theme, based solely on this chart. Use it as a guide. It won’t give you every bit of information to study, but it’s a great little outline.
We didn’t just spend 5 weeks reading, discussing and notebooking. During our week learning about the Tower of Babel, we enjoyed speaking “jibberish” to each other all day. It was fun and frustrating, giving us an idea of what it must have been like when God divided people according to languages. We learned that God dispersed his people so that they would begin spreading out all over the world to share the gospel. While speaking jibberish was fun (and something we will always remember), the important point of God’s providential move to spread His people all over the world to serve His purpose won’t soon be forgotten.
To celebrate finishing our first Theme, we are heading up to the Creation Musuem this week. I imagine there will be much to read and see there to reinforce what we’ve been learning.
Now a little more about what you get when you purchase this product and how to get started. I began by listening to 8 Lectures (in MP3 format) which serve as an Audio Training Seminar. I also received the Judah Bible Curriculum Manual in ebook format. This manual includes instructions and resources to help you teach your students. Included is a helpful K-12 weekly Theme Guide. I also received a Notebook Ideas book for elementary-aged students, showing examples for how the Key Sheets may be used. This entire set can be purchased at their website for $44. If you prefer, a set with hard copy books and lectures on CD can be purchased for $74.
This is not a Bible study curriculum that you just open a book and go, without preparation. I spent about a week listening to the lecture series, to get the foundation for how to use the study. There are no real pre-planned lesson plans. You have the freedom to choose which Keys to teach and how to go about teaching them to your students. There are suggestions and helps to get you started, but you will be writing your own lesson plans, once you get through the first few weeks. I enjoyed this aspect of Judah, but if you are the kind of homeschooler that prefers everything laid out for you, including a schedule of what to do when, and how, then this is probably not the curriculum for you.
Ben responded well to this method of Bible study and I found we were spending much more time digging deeply into the actual Bible, rather than reading anecdotal “stories” that have little long-term life application. It led to amazing discussion and while Ben was learning, I was being stretched as well. Judah Bible Curriculum is an investment well worth the time and preparation needed to succeed. I believe that in the end, we will both be much more Bible literate and knowledgeable about God’s plan for His people and how that plan relates to us as individuals, and as a nation.
Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my son.
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