Vague Teaching by Inglis

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 5, 1882

Vague Teaching.

By Inglis

It is from neglecting to study that there is so much of vague teaching. Vagueness consists in a sort of general, indeterminate way of speaking, which has no apparent object. Every sentence in itself is simple and easily understood, but we cannot discover what the teacher would be at. What he says is all pious, and in its own way useful enough, but it is totally destitute of point. He makes no progress. His last remarks might have been as appropriate at the beginning of the lesson as at the close; they have no special reference to the subject in hand, and little application to the particular class to whom they are addressed. The law and the gospel, addresses to saints and sinners, are intermingled without order; and it is evident at every stage of the lesson, that the teacher has never grappled with the truth which his subject illustrates, or understood in what way it was calculated to benefit his hearers.

The cure for this error is to master the lesson, and have a distinct object to gain in teaching it. Though a person should understand his lesson, yet, if he does not concentrate his information about it upon a point, he merely lays his knowledge at the door of the mind, and is not likely to effect an entrance. The seal cannot be more distinct than the stamp. We cannot communicate views more distinct than we ourselves possess. A sailor never speaks vaguely about the different parts of a ship, nor a tradesman about his handicraft. If we knew the Bible as intimately as they know their professions, we should hear less of vague teaching. Persons are vague only in speaking of what they do not clearly understand.

Another error, the result of want of preparation or misdirected study, is superficiality. Superficiality sometimes passes current as good teaching, under the name of simplicity. In this simple mode of instruction, mental effort on the part of teachers or scholars is not thought of. The plan of teaching is to take every sentence as it stands in the Bible, and treat it as if it stood alone, and the lesson had no general subject; and the matter of the teaching is an occasional explanatory remark, with a few passing reflections. Thus we have seen the second chapter of Luke's Gospel taught in this way: What does the angel's appearing to the shepherds teach us? That we should not despise the poor. What does the song of the angels teach us? To glorify God for our salvation. What does the conduct of the shepherds in coming with haste teach us? To obey the commandments of God. What do we learn from the shepherds making known the saying? To make known the coming of our Lord. No attempt was made to give the children a true conception of the grace of our Lord in becoming man, or to awaken their hearts to the lofty strain of the angels' jubilee song.

This mode of teaching sometimes degenerates into a mere play of words, as in this passage, "God is just." What is God? He is just. Who is just? God. And so the sentence is ended. But the child has not made one step in religious knowledge by the questions, for he remains as ignorant as before of the quality of justice. Or let the sentence be, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." What are we to do? To repent. Who are to repent? All. Why are we to repent? Lest we perish. It is obvious that our first business ought rather to be, to explain fully what repentance is, and that then we should press on our scholars the duty of repentance. The simple questions noted above suggest very little to their minds.—Inglis.