Posted on 02/28/2009 6:06:08 AM PST by GonzoII
A Christian organization whose church-based clubs challenge kids to memorize Bible verses says its graduates are keeping the faith.
The president of Awana International, Jack Eggar, told CDR Radio that it commissioned a survey of adults who had spent at least 6 years in Awana when they were growing up.
"[W]e found that over 90-plus percent of these kids [now adults] remained faithful to the things of God or faithful in church, and are still active in their faith -- even sharing Christ with others," Eggar shares.
(Excerpt) Read more at onenewsnow.com ...

Lk:2:19: "But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart."
Bible memorization has great merit.
Citing chapter and verse is an ego trip.
(Proverbs 22:6.)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
I knew the church would be dark and my eyesight was lousy (still is) so I memorized it and recited it.
I've been reciting it every Christmas since.
Memorizing Bible verses isn’t the reason kids stay faithful - although it certainly is a good thing. Faithful parents, living their faith transparently have more to do with it than some rote process. Ultimately, though, the kids themselves have found genuine faith and choose live it out. Sometimes this is aided by family and church support, sometimes not. In the end, God is behind it all. There is no jig-saw puzzle piece that makes faith a reality - only trust and obedience.
It definitely gives the Holy Spirit something to "work with" in times when we need the Word while living in this pagan environment.
I can remember the first Bible verse I had to memorize as a child...”And Simon Peter answered and said ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God’”. Matthew 16:16. I was so proud of myself.:)
He set up a test whereby students received $$ for correct answers.
He then set up a process whereby they could cheat (they thought) without getting caught, and still get the money. Naturally, their scores went up.
He then under the same controlled circumstances asked them to recall their favorite (here, I forget---movie, book, song, whatever) before taking the test with the "cheat enabled" conditions. Scores stayed as high as in #2.
He then asked them, just before taking the test, to recall ANY of the Ten Commandments.
Scores came down to almost #1 levels.
Being reminded about the moral imperatives of the Bible does change behavior, he concluded. The book is Predictably Irrational
I memorized, “Jesus wept.”
How do we get the kids to skip over the stuff about handling snakes and drinking poison?
It should be a parent.
But what if the child first memorizes the verse about Jesus turning children against parents?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.