Sunday School Books

Almost every baptist church where I have attended Sunday-school (or their version of Sunday-school), used a Lifeway publication Sunday-school book. Although, I have found very few points given in the lessons to which I disagree, I do not recommend their use for the following reasons:

1. Their use does not promote individual reflection on the passage. Although I am all for reading how more learned individuals than myself interpret a passage, I am a firm believer that my brain should be pressed to come up with a thought or two of its own first. The use (or perhaps misuse) of Sunday school books often result in readers simply reading what the author thought about a certain passage of scripture, and recommendations from the author own how this should apply to the reader's life. In our intellectually lazy society, these type books are a potential crutch that can leave the users handicap for life. If the human mind (or at least mine) is not forced to come up with some thoughts of its own, it blindly regurgitates others. Sunday school books are not the only trap for the intellectually lazy mind. Commentaries are another very common one. I attended an ADULT Sunday school class at a church in Little Rock, where each member simply read what their commentary said about the passage.

2. Their use discourages class members from utilizing their own bible. Most Sunday school books that I have seen print the selected verses in the lesson. I am not saying that there is anything special or anointed about an individual's own bible, but I do believe that Christians, (young Christians especially) should be accustom to looking up a passages and seeing their context. For example the famous verse John 3:16, Who is speaking? Who is are they speaking with? Which brings me to my next point...

3. Sunday School books often skip verses. Often times when Sunday school members are ask to read a passage, they will read a couple of verses then skip down and read several verses latter in that section, with no mention whatsoever of the verses in between. I don't cook much, but I know that it is pretty important to read all the directions in the order they appear. I understand that the bible is not a recipe book, but the author probably did have a purpose for the layout of the passage. If he put a statement in between two other statements, it was probably for a purpose.

I admit Sunday School books can be a very effective teaching tool, but a tool used in the wrong manner can be destructive rather than constructive.