How To Teach The Torah (Episode 2)

This week (June 9) on Shabbat Night Live, is it possible to use the Word of God to teach every subject in school? Even most Christian homeschool curriculum programs say “no.

Kraig and Anne Elliott explain why they decided to take a leap of faith and develop their own way to teach school using the Bible as a master textbook.

Watch the episode — included on this blog post.

While you watch, consider the questions below. The timeline for each discussion topic in the video is noted on each question. Post your answers in the comments section, and let’s get some discussion going!

1. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 16:00) How does the contemporary argument in favor of sustainability conflict with the Hebraic proscription against particular foods? How should faithful followers of the Torah attempt to negotiate the latter-day reflex of highly processed comestibles that purport to prolong both human life and the environment, yet also violate the dietary laws that support the faith lives of many?
2. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 20:00) Why is it difficult for many believers to discern the sometimes inexplicable paths on which YeHoVaH leads us as part of our individual apostolates? How do such figures as King David, Elijah, and Paul demonstrate our need to accept interruption and even obstruction as inextricable elements of our spiritual growth and as cautions against presumption or false pride?
3. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 24:00) How does the ongoing proliferation throughout religious education of new programs, teaching approaches, and curricula serve to indirectly reveal scripture as the most fundamental and influential “syllabus”? How have efforts to make doctrine more contemporary or relevant to successive generations of learners reflected a man-centered and secular ethos?
4. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 28:00) Similarly, how can the marginalization of the Bible as a source of diverse instruction be viewed as a factor in our chaotic present-day educational environments, from primary to college-level? What are some examples of subjects, ideas, and intellectual orientations in today’s curricula that flagrantly violate the moral and ethical precepts delineated and developed from the Tanakh through the Christian New Testament?
5. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 32:00) Despite the inherent personal drama of conversion, how does one’s earliest experience of religious formation often continue to influence or even compromise future spiritual growth? How does the imperative for every believer to recognize this factor become an inextricable element in the critical perspective that we must develop as we engage with YeHoVaH’s plan for our salvation?
6. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 38:00) Although Psalm 23 remains unsurpassed as a popular verse used for personal testimony of praise for YeHoVaH, how might Psalm 19 become a rediscovered text that stands as a comprehensive statement delineating a code of conduct as well as belief? How do its images hearken back to the ethos of the Torah and foreshadow the fulfillment of Messianic worship?
7. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 42:00) How has the notion of dietary restriction become narrowly defined or even ridiculed throughout the Judeo-Christian world, both within religious institutions and among the general public? Why has a more enlightened view of such practices as the refusal of pork, abstinence from alcohol, or vegetarianism as voluntary apostolates failed to become accepted by many as examples of strength and integrity within faith?
8. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 46:00) As referenced earlier, how does YeHoVaH often guide us on our apostolic path through restriction, frustration, or delay as part of a providential plan of discovery of our own hidden resources? Further, how can the “easy grace” of much evangelical Christianity offer a false perspective of material prosperity as reward for spirituality that can potentially lead to the sin of despair through its absence?
9. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 50:00) What is the likelihood in today’s climate of agnosticism of a reflex toward Western religion as a response to curricular needs in public education? How might scripture provide a subtle but formidable template for virtually all disciplines as a delineation of moral, ethical, and cultural values that would illuminate the inherent failure of ongoing back-to-basics efforts?
10. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 54:00) Aside from its fundamental importance to our engagement with YeHoVaH, how is obedience an essential element in our efforts to persevere in the face of limitation while seeking answers to our prayers?  Why are we, as fallen creatures, so often reluctant to make an examination of conscience part of our faith lives, even amidst evidence of its place in our private revelations?