Friday, January 16, 2004

How I Find and Learn Things

In which the author exhibits frustration at chronological Bibles

So, I'm through Psalms, now. And I'm really only about 100 pages away from being half-way done with the whole Bible. I guess that means I'm still a little behind, but I'm not too far behind.

I think I have finally decided that I don't like the chronological Bible so much. I mean, it's kinda' neat to have things in chronological order, so you can put things in their historical context, but (for me) I really think the Bible loses quite a bit of its pedagogical power when it is put together this way. I suppose I really have two main complaints.

1. My visual cues are gone! Every time I read something that interests me, I reference it visually. In other words, I look up and see what's around it on the page. I don't memorize it. I just visually reference it. Unfortunately, 1st Chronicles can be right smack dab in the middle of the Psalms, or Psalm 34 might be followed directly by Psalm 56. This makes finding the information more difficult for me in the future. Hmm. I know it was around Psalm 56. It HAS to be around here somewhere!!!

2. My spiral curriculum is gone! Just up and missing. A little bit of educational theory says that we learn best by adding just a little bit to what we already know (i+1). The Bible (in its non-chronological format) does this splendidly. I read along, and I think Wow! I think I remember reading about that a couple of days ago. And then I really learn it. But with the Bible in chronological order, the story is just right there again. Boom! And I think to myself yadda yadda yadda. I just got through reading that. I don't want to read it again. And even though I do read it again, it doesn't stick the way it did when it was a spiral curriculum. :-(

But, really. Those are my only two complaints, so far.

I'll check in again later.

J

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