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The Bible is Non-Fiction
by Ruth Willms
What you call something is very important. As a
parent, you were very aware of that when you named your children. Your children
bear the meaning or the connotation of that name for life.
The lines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
refer to this:
"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
The Bible places great importance on the meaning
of names. Names were sometimes changed as the result of events.
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and his
wife’s name, Sarai, to Sarah when He told Abraham they would be the parents of
many nations. Saul’s name was changed to Paul when he encountered God and Jesus
changed Simon’s name to Peter, the rock, when He informed Peter of his
leadership role in the church. I have heard of people even in today’s time
changing their names when they become Christians.
The naming of writings is also important. When we
call the events and lessons in the Bible “stories” we imply that they are just
that - stories. Children associate “stories” with make believe.
As a child, I loved to read fairy tales.
Everything always turned out right for the hero or heroine. The beautiful girl
always got her handsome knight and they always lived happily ever after. The
heroes or heroines didn’t have any flaws or weaknesses. If they did, they found
help from dragons or witches.
Being a very imaginative child, I could have
lived in this world of make believe. Fortunately, God placed me in a home where
the Bible was taught as truth and Grimm’s fairy tales as just what they are-
make believe.
In the same way, you can make the Bible real to
your children by teaching them that the events of the Bible are not fiction but
reality. The Bible is a history book, although it is also much more.
The lessons we learn from the Bible are based on
real events, like Jonah being swallowed by a big fish because he didn’t obey God
and brave Queen Esther risking her life to save her people, the Jews. Then you
then tell your children why you choose to live according to the Bible.
In this way, you can build the same character
traits in your children that they have seen in the heroes and heroines of the
Bible.
The Bible is non-fiction. In calling the events
of the Bible history, which they are, you can correlate the history noted in the
Bible with the history events that are taught in school.
One of the websites where you can find the
historical dates of Bible events is http://www.bibleistrue.com/qna/qna63.htm .
You can check the dates of Bible events here and then teach your child what was
happening elsewhere in the world at the same time.
For example, Jonah was dealing with that big fish
at about the time that the First Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. Your
children will realize that Bible events are as much a part of history as the
events they learn of in Social Studies.
Another method of making the Bible real is to
learn about archaeology. Study what has been found that relates to the Bible.
Websites that have information on this are www.christiananswers.net and http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/bible-archaeology.htm
. Ancient cities and artifacts discovered by archaeologists show that Bible
events really happened. Visit museums that display this material and artifacts.
As your children discover that the Bible is real,
their faith in God and the Bible will grow stronger and more solid because now
they have a blueprint and directions to follow.
Your Friend,
Ruth Willms
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