The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1952-12-06

are In the Bible, with their names
arranged in order; 1t is worth while
to know the names of the Apostles
and to be able to trace the journeys
OF Moses or Paul on a map. But
teaching these il not teaching re-
hgion. What Jesus taught can be
put into two words: God, man.
What God Is like; what mans rela-
ton to God ought to be; how man
should act toward God and his
neighbor; everything Jesus taught
can be summed up in those topics.
You can express 1t in various
ways. You can say he taught the
way child OF God ought to live.
You can say he taught the laws of
right living. You can say he taught
how to come to God and to serve
him. Any way you put it, it comes
back to the same two themes. God
and man,-not separately but re-
lated. man to God, man to man.
F'>W?
There are two differences be-
tween good teacher and q poor
one. more than two, but these
are among the most importantly A
good teacher knows his subject, the
poor one has only hazy idea of
1t. And a good teacher knows how
to teach, while the poor one Just
blunders around. Like all other
arts, teaching is knowins-how as
well as mowing-whRt. Z
In studying the methods Of Jesus,
we must remember that he did
not have formal class room. He
did not have scheduled hours, not
even the regular once-a-week the
Sunday school teacher now has.
His teaching was all informal. But
e. en- so. we can learn much from
his methods. He almost never lee
tured, that is to say, he answered
questions people asked him rather
than making cut-and-dried speech
es. His teaching grew out of peo-
pies actual needs and problems,
he spoke to their condition" Good
teaching is answering.
Then we note that Jesus did not
use big words, WORKOUT words or
generally abstract words. For ex-
ample, he never once used the
word religion though ne was
talking about it all the time. He
seldom used the word "sin'' though
ne often put his finger on particu-
lar sins. His language was the Ian
guage other people spoke and could
understand.
He used the Bible for his illus-
trations sometimes, but he did not
wear out the effect of it by over
using it. Even the best of books
can be made tiresome by tiresome
repetition. The Bible is the most
living book in the world, and Jesus
never killed it by dullness. Yet
Jesus knew the value Of repea tina
truth, and knew how to repeat u
without making 1t tiresome. He
would light up the same truth from
many different angles.
Who?
AS has been said here before, II
Jesus life had not been i'm line
with his own teachings, what no
said would have met with jeers and
indifference. No one would have
cared nor remembered what he
said. The thing that really gave
LIE and fire to his teaching was
himself.
Perhaps 1t is true. though this
writer doubts 1t, that there are sub
jects In which the teachers char
acter makes little difference. Pos
sibly q man whose personal life no
one adrnirss may make . psssa-
BILE teacher of mathematics or
chemistry.
But In the field Of religion,-of
faith, Of character what the
teacher himself is, in his character
and daily life, is Of central impor-
lance. What you are, as person,
either underscores what you teach
In Sunday school. or crosses It out.
(cogyriEht 1859 ~ ths Division Of
Christian Eduosefoa, National Couneil
Of tee Churches o. Christ Of thf United
FeetHfes.l
NOTICE 80 The TRIBUNE
Office Closes at 100 Sat