How to Teach Using the Inductive Method

by Brian Arensen

While teaching a course on the Minor Prophets at a Bible school in Tanzania, I discovered a decided difference in my students’ understanding of truth. The discovery began when I assigned each student one book to research and then teach to the class.

While teaching a course on the Minor Prophets at a Bible school in Tanzania, I discovered a decided difference in my students’ understanding of truth. The discovery began when I assigned each student one book to research and then teach to the class.

As the first student taught, no one took notes. I blamed it on poor teaching. However, when the top student taught the next week with a thesis, outline, and other notes on the blackboard, still not one of them put pen to paper.

Now I suspected a pattern. I spoke up and told everyone to take notes. At this, they took sparse, sporadic notes, but with no great enthusiasm.

After class, I asked one of my students: “What is the problem with taking notes?”

“He is just my fellow student,” he said. “How do I know he is saying the right thing? I don’t want to write something down which may be wrong.”

“How do you know that what I teach is correct?” I asked.

He replied, “You are a teacher and were taught by other teachers.”

The light dawned—we understood biblical truth to come from different sources.

I approached the transfer of truth from a Western world view. We consider ourselves able to understand and reason with truth, biblical or otherwise. As people led by the Spirit, we test and sift through any teaching we receive. The measure of truth lies in the truth itself, not the one who gives it.

In the African world view, truth is handed down from respected leaders. People are not even expected to understand what they’re taught. The sole task is to receive the total teachings and pass them on without question. Who would dispute the wisdom and authority of one’s forefathers?

These leaders (chiefs,elders, or parents) are listened to because of their authority, not because of what they say. The weight of truth is measured by the authority of the giver, not by the truth itself.

When the gospel spread through Africa, many accepted this new truth wholeheartedly. They acquired biblical truth in the same cultural pattern. Instead of tribal leaders, now missionaries held authority. Gradually, the authority transferred to missionary-trained church leaders. The transfer of truth began to take place at Bible schools where students were trained by teachers, the new authority figures.

My students had come to Bible school expecting to learn from a respected teacher, a trustworthy source of biblical truth. Fellow students could not be trusted.

In struggling over this cultural difference, I wondered “What does the Bible say about this?” I found verses which support the Western viewpoint.

Paul charged Timothy to study God’s word for himself (2 Tim. 2:15). He taught that all believers have the Holy Spirit who helps them understand the word of God (1 Cor. 2:6-16). Peter warned about false teachers in the church (2 Pet. 2:1-3), and then told believers to be on guard against them (2 Pet. 3:17). John wrote that all believers are anointed by the holy one and are able to differentiate between truth and lies (1 John 2:20, 21).

All believers can understand spiritual truth with the help of the Holy Spirit. Christians are expected to test their teachers and doctrines; the measure of truth is the Bible itself.

I also found support for the traditional African view. Much of the Old Testament corresponds closely with African culture. Proverbs speaks much of following parental instruction. Proverbs 4:5 records a father’s advice to his son, “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” Wisdom is obtained from one’s father.

The New Testament also supports this view. Paul expected his converts to follow his personal example and to hold fast to the truth he taught them (Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 1 Cor. 4:15,16). Paul told Timothy to study to present himself approved to God (2 Tim. 2:15), but also wrote, “However, continue in the things you have learned and been convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them” (2Tim. 3 :14), namely, his mother and grandmother.

The source of truth is very important. It is not exclusively an African concept. Consider the old popular advertisement, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.”

The Bible confirms both viewpoints as valid means of acquiring truth. All believers have the Holy Spirit and can individually understand spiritual truth. But God also uses faithful, respected teachers to pass on his truth. Attaining a balance of teacher input and student interaction brings the greatest understanding of the Bible.

In Africa this means helping students understand their responsibility in Bible study. They often expect to be spoon-fed what to think. They develop a received theology, not a personal one. Leaders argue, “This is what I was taught at Bible school.” As such, people feel they can’t question what their leaders say.

This fosters loyalty to teachers instead of God’ s word. Though it may be an African cultural belief, history has proven the grave error in such thinking. When all teaching and Scripture reading were for clergy alone, the church slid into the Dark Ages. It took the Reformation and people like Wycliffe and Hus to reinstate the Bible as the authoritative source of truth for all Christians.

The challenge in Africa today is to let the Bible hold authority in establishing church doctrine and Christian living. We need to help our students switch their focus from their teachers to the Bible. We want them to be able to say with full confidence, “This is what the Bible teaches.”

How can we do that? It must begin with a major change of emphasis at our schools. We must teach our students how to think and not merelywhat to think. We must develop students’ confidence and skills to read, interpret, and apply the Bible for themselves.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
When I realized that my students did not trust any of their own or their fellow students’ theological conclusions, my challenge became clear. How could I instill a confidence in their own God-given ability to interpret the word of God correctly? These suggestions come from years of experience.

1. Understand the importance of inductive Bible study. Your graduates will continue to use this information in their ministry week after week, year after year. Most African church leaders do not possess more than a concordance, a Bible handbook, and a few commentaries. Often they will only possess a Bible and a notebook. But if they have learned inductive Bible study methods, that’s enough.

Our goal should be to equip our graduates to understand and apply any given passage to their specific situation and audience without using other reference books. This is exactly what inductive Bible study provides. An old Chinese proverb is appropriate: “You can give a hungry man a fish and he will be satisfied for one day. But if you teach him how to fish, he will be satisfied for a lifetime.” Our schools must be more concerned with teaching how to find answers than with giving them out.

2. Develop a curriculum which emphasizes Bible study methods. Any Bible study program should begin with a basic course in hermeneutics, the study of biblical interpretation. This course should explain how each of the different genres of Scripture should be handled. I highly recommend How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart (Zondervan).

Another course should introduce the process of Bible study. All approaches to inductive Bible study include three tiers: (1) observation—seeing what is written; (2) interpretation—understanding what is written; and (3) application—using what is written. Comprehending the place of context in determining meaning is absolutely essential, and should be illustrated as much as possible. This solid foundation will produce great benefits later.

3. One course should present a systematic plan for studying a book or passage inductively, including the steps of analysis (lookingat the different parts) and synthesis (putting all the parts together).

In Africa, it is important to work through an example in class. Verbally work through every step in class before giving a homework assignment. Never assume students can handle a “simple” assignment without a careful, clear explanation. It can take an entire class period to give an assignment on a new concept.

Most advocates of inductive study use charts as visual aids. In Africa charts are not as helpful because linear logic is a foreign concept. Although charts expose them to something new, students are more comfortable with outlines.

Using grammatical layouts of key passages has produced significant results. With an accurate translation, it shows visual relationships between words and sentences which are not apparent in a casual reading. This form of thinking, though linear, sometimes makes sense when book charts do not.

For further explanations of inductive Bible studies, see: The Joy of Discovery, by Oletta Wald (Bible Banner Press, 1956); How to Study Your Bible, by Kay Arthur (Harvest House Publishers, 1994); and Living by the Book, by Howard G. Hen-dricks and William D. Hendricks (Moody Press, 1991).

Another essential topic is obtaining applications based on interpretation. Application is where missionaries run into brick walls of cultural differences. Imagine the effect of your students being able to make accurate and culturally appropriate applications based on biblical principles. Two excellent books on this subject are Taking the Guesswork Out of Applying the Bible, by Jack Kuhat-schek (InterVarsity Press) and How to Apply the Bible, by Dave Veerman (Tyndale HousePublishers).

Homiletics should also be an integral part of the curriculum. Good sermons depend on good exegesis.

Once students know how to study the Bible for themselves, they should be taught how to use reference books. Dictionaries, atlases, and Bible handbooks offer background material helpful for inductive study. Commentaries are useful to confirm conclusions or seek expert help. Research papers challenge students to learn a wide variety of views and opinions. But do not elevate the value of these aids above their actual worth. God’s simple, powerful method is using God’s Spirit to teach God’s word to God’s servant.

Use Bible book courses to practice and develop Bible study skills. Irving L. Jensen’s inductive guides for Bible books offer good outlines and insightful questions. Inductive study guides published by Neighborhood Bible Studies are available in more than 30 languages. Give assignments that use inductive study skills.

3. Demonstrate good hermen-eutics in all your courses. After I taught a class on how to ask insightful questions, other teachers came to me, asking, “What are you teaching? Our students are asking questions that we can’t answer. Please teach us first so we won’t be embarrassed in class.” I was happy to oblige. If all the teachers are using good hermen-eutics, principles taught in Bible study methods classes will be constantly reinforced. Students will learn by example.

4. Help the students learn for themselves. Real learning happens in the student’s mind, not in the teacher’s mouth. Make an effort to include student-centered methods.

When teaching a Bible book, I give out questions from each chapter beforehand. I phrase the questions so that the answers are obvious. The goal is that they thoughtfully prepare for class discussion. It also builds their confidence to find answers on their own, using the Bible. I do not correct their notebooks, insisting that they make their own corrections based on class lectures. This puts the responsibility for right answers on their shoulders and encourages them to listen carefully.

In class, I encourage questions and discussion. I affirm their conclusions, point out errors, and guide them to fuller answers. I try not to give firm answers until the students have also arrived at similar conclusions. This gives them confidence in their own ability to study the Bible.

5. Encourage students to find real life answers to everyday problems. The goal of all Bible study is application: “What does this verse mean for me?” Go beyond teaching content. Using proper hermeneu-tics, dig out the applications of the passage. Involve your students by asking them for their own applications to their daily lives.

6. Use your teacher’s status wisely. Use your authority when appropriate. A teacher who gives no answers is no teacher. If we only raise questions and give no definitive answers, we cause insecurity in our students’ minds, shaking their belief in biblical absolutes and doctrines. Teachers may need to give authoritative answers to particular problems. But in doing so, show from Scripture why and how you arrived at your conclusion.

But resist the temptation to follow the African cultural norm of teachers having all the answers. Leave some questions unanswered. We must constantly strive to find the necessary balance between too much and too little teacher input.

CONCLUSION
Since inductive Bible study concepts have been taught and reinforced at our school, we have seen a significant difference in our students. They approach the Scriptures with real confidence. They preach with greater authority. They bridge the gap between biblical teaching and African application.

A contextualized gospel is not possible until the church is ready and able to struggle with Scripture on a daily, personal level. This will not happen if the church is content to accept a hand-me-down theology instead of a hands-on approach. This can only happen as Christians are trained to respect the authority of Scripture and wrestle with its truths in their everyday lives.

This must start in our schools with inductive Bible study receiving the priority it deserves.

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