Anderson University - Echoes Yearbook (Anderson, IN)

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uct. Jesus' success-the success of this new religion which he gave to the world he staked Wholly upon his ability to teach a handful of individuals. Most of us would have wanted larger classes, but he knew the personal touch was needed- the individual method of instructiong so he tried. to teach only twelve. Upon the success of this individual method, the perpetuity of the Christian religion was to depend. VVell did hc do his work. A third principle of Jesus' teaching was the injection of human sympathy into his attitude toward his hearers. The twelve would have presented themselves as a sorry lot to the normal teacher. Here they were varying in intellectual attain- ments from ignoramuses to those having a respectable intellectual caliber. But Jesus in choosing them took them not because of what they were, but because of what he realized he would make -of them. It must have taxed his patience since he had taken on human limitations to have dealt with them patientlyg yet out of that twelve geniuses came. How patient he was in righting their misconceptions and in molding them into stalwart pillars who were later to be aggressive in ad- vancing the kingdom. Even in his reproofs, the glow of sympathy shines out. Again Jesus used the project method of instruction which has been widely heralded in educational circles in the past few years. lVith a few simple instructions as to concrete procedure, he sent his pupils out into the laboratory to let them apply to concrete problems the principles he had given them in bringing men to repentance. lVe sometimes call this learning by experience. The experience in this case, how- ever, was preceded by training from the master teacher. The teachei-'s business is not to do the work for the student, but to inspire him and to assist him in the solu- tion of the problem by pointing out thc Way. Finally, in connection with this principle comes the corollary that there must always be a close link between thinking and doing. The two in the religion which Jesus brought are inseparable. It is the old question again of being and doing, of having and acting, or of faith and works. Religion has been interpreted in one age or by one group as almost wholly an inner experience. the have, or faith side, while on the other hand at other times or by other groups it is interpreted as a thing of action, a matter of works. ln Jesus, teaching there is a proper balance of the two. An inner experimental religion which takes the form of a heartfelt belief in him is supplemented bv an emphasis upon the fact that only those who do something such as visiting the sick or feeding the hungry are to' be hidden to enter at the last day. So consistently Jesus connects action witl1 thought. These principles of Jesus' teaching do not explain his divinity. They are simply principles which are recognized today as pedagogically and psychologically sound. The successful teacher of religion must make them his and apply them in his work, not in a way comparable to that in which Jesus applied them, but apply them as best he can if he will succeed. 'I ..' 1 -. , '. .1 . ., ,ggi 1 V, , f PAG IE NINETEEN

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Jesus the Great T eacher Russell Olt A man may succeed in a pastor-ate if he is nine-tenths teacher and one-tenth preacher, but if he is nine-tenths preacher and one-tenth teacher, never! Jesus commanded the gospel to be preached, but the good news of salvation was merely introductory to the building of a church. This was to be accomplished by teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.'i YVe think of the Christian ministry too often today as being made up of men who are supposed to preach from the pulpit two or three times a Week. There is much to be done by way of teaching religion after men have obtained salvation in order that they may go on to perfection. This point of view is receiving much emphasis today. For instance, Rabbi Stephen S. VVise recently declared to a large audience that he wanted to be considered a teaclier -of righteousness. Only when this teaching phase of the minister's work is put on a par with the preaching aspect of it will churches be built up. Jesus himself was the prince of teachers, the master teacher. His regular students numbered but twelve, but his classroom frequently was made up of a mul- titude. The so called Sermon on the Mount was not really a sermon at all. Jesus did not mean it to be. For one reason he sat down when talking to them,-a Jewish position for teaching only. But what made Jesus a master teacher? Five principles, I answer, which today are considered both psychologically and pedagogically sound. In the first place, he used the apperceptive method. His teachings were always built on ex- periences drawn from the lives of his pupils. Abstract, abstruse statements he avoided. He has therefore been called the master picture teacher. In this pic- ture teaching three forms may be distinguished. ' First, there are the likenesscs he used. ln these the comparisons are sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit. Ye are the salt of the earth. Ye are the light of the world. No man putteth new wine into old wine-skins. Again in this type of teaching he employed examples. lnstanees of these are: The good Samaritang the Pharisee and the publicang the rich fool: and Dives and Lazarus. Finally, in this type of teaching there are the parablcs. A parable persuades and makes clear in a pointed and definite way principles which would never be abstractly grasped by many. His parable of the prodigal son accomplishes in a minute what might have taken hours or weeks of abstract repetition to make clear. A second principle of teaching employed by Jesus was that of taking account of the individual. Illustrative of this is thc time we are told, Jesus saw the man. So much so called instruction today is a machine-like sort of thing. hlaterial is thrown into the hopper with the anticipation that it will come out a finished prod- aa-2.s.i. , .wifi 1155, ..,., .. - -mf f ii fiifle PAGE EIGHTEEN

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The Pastor' a Teacher A. E Gray To the one who feels the weight of a pastors responsibilities, the conscious- ness of weakness and the sense of dependence on God arc always present. Years of service tend to increase rather than to diminish such feelings. Into the pastor's hands are committed the care of priceless souls and the training of lives for useful service. A feeling of utter helplessness is averted only by a steadfast faith in God. It is through looking to Him who is the chief Shepherd and the Bishop of our souls that the pastor receives the courage to attempt so great a task. He is con- strained to fall at the feet of the One he calls Rabbi and Master, even Him whem every pastor seeks to imitate, and in some measure reproduce His work. It is by a contemplation of Him that thc pastor is changed from glory to glory into His image. Preemincntly, Christ is the Teacher. XVould a pastor succeed he must imitate Him. He must pattern after His mcekncss of spirit, His patience of method, the clearness of His message, and the gentlcncss of His manner. He must bring the same sublime message that is fitted to the needs of all, and that is helpful to all. To be able to do this one must first sit patiently at the feet of thc Master and learn of him. lVhat one has received in the centers of learning, what he has gained in the school of experience become of greatest value to him, only after being touched and vitalized by the hand of Him who is thc Power of G-od and the YV'isdom of God. The chief work of the pastor is teaching. ln addition to his sermons. there is much need of private instruction. There is a constant care over the souls of thc Hock and a constant watchfulncss seeking to behold proper development. The teaching must correspond to the needs of the people and be such as they can com- prehend. A flock that includes a variety of Christian experiences and'pcoplc in various stages of Christian development, as most congregations do, presents a com- plicated problem. Could the pastor divide his flock into groups of babes and men, weak and strong, and feed each accordingly, his problem would be somewhat sim- plifiedg since this is impracticablc and most pastors must teach a mixed group of people it is for the pastor to present a message that will apply to all and that all will be able to receive. Should one think this an impossible task let him read again the messages of Christ. The great Teacher presented his message so clothed that children were interested and could understandg yet these messages were truths so sublime that the greatest of philosophers have not yet fathomed their depths. Let the pastor remain well within the range of spiritual truth and he will find material suited to all ages and to all classes. The pastor may bc confronted with the problem of what to preach. This is most likely due to the difficulty -of deciding what is most needful for his people or . - ' . 5 I ' . PAGE TVVFINTY